


Once Upon a...Ugh, You Get the Point Don't You? It's a Fairytale.

by CopaceticBrainBox



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Angst, BAMF Castiel, BAMF Dean, Banter, Bickering, Bisexual Dean, Bottom Castiel, Bottom Dean, Canon-Typical Violence, Castiel Saves Dean Winchester, Castiel's First Kiss, Destiel - Freeform, Elf Castiel, Elves, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, Fae & Fairies, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff, Forests, Funny, Goblins, Healing, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Jealous Castiel, M/M, Magic, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mild Gore, Misunderstandings, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pansexual Castiel, Prince Dean, Princes & Princesses, Protective Castiel, Quests, Sarcasm, Sirens, Snark, Snarky Castiel, Snarky Dean, Switch Castiel, Switch Dean, Top Castiel, Top Dean, Violence, Virgin Castiel, mermaid, water nymphs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-08
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-05-05 16:01:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 60,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5381342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CopaceticBrainBox/pseuds/CopaceticBrainBox
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prince Dean, like all princes, had to marry... apparently, he guessed. </p><p>So Dean saddles up his mighty steed and heads out on a heroic quest to rescue a princess... and then marry her. 'Cause marrying someone you know nothing about but might have rescued from a fire breathing dragon is a totally sane thing to do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The forest was _not_ a magical place.

Dean couldn’t wrap his mind around why the Elders had named it ‘enchanted’. What a crock of bullshit.

The last thing this forest was, was ‘enchanted’. The first thing it was, was _sticky_. Even the air seemed to cling to his skin, making his clothes heavy and damp. His fingers had gotten soaked in tree sap when he’d tripped and had barely managed to catch himself by slamming his palms into a tree.

Also, boots might be stylish, but Dean had been walking in some all day and he was pretty sure his feet were bleeding. He tugged at his sword belt, wiping sweat out of his eyes with the sleeve of the ridiculous silk shirt they had dressed him in.

All in all, his quest was not going at all how he’d thought it would.

He didn’t even _want_ to find some princess to marry. So she was locked away in a tower, so what? Lot’s of people got locked in towers. One time Dean’s Aunt accidentally locked _herself_ in a tower for a few weeks. And she was mostly fine!

This chick could be totally batshit crazy for all he knew. Being locked in a tower for so long probably loosens a few screws. (Like he said, his aunt was  _mostly_ fine.)

But apparently princes _had_ to find their princesses. So here Dean was, only a day into his journey and he’d already lost his horse, and along with it his map and most of his supplies. He was gonna die trying to find some princess he didn’t even want to marry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is more of an introduction to the story than a first chapter, but let me know what you think and if you'd want to read more!! :)


	2. Chapter 2

What was this foolish creature doing wandering around in one of the most dangerous forests in all the kingdoms? It didn’t even have a weapon! The only thing on it’s back was some flimsy, shiny material that clung to it’s skin in a rather… interesting… manner.

Castiel’s curiosity got the better of him and what had only felt like a short while later he found himself very far from the small spring he was supposed to be going to wash in as he followed the strange creature.

But Castiel often wandered far from where he was supposed to. No one would come looking for him anytime soon. He could follow the creature for just a little longer.

Castiel kept his distance, slipping deftly between the tall trees, going completely unnoticed by what he assumed was a man. He’d heard of them but he’d never actually seen one. His older brother, Michael, had told him that they were filthy, greedy, ugly creatures that couldn’t be trusted. _Ever_.

This one wasn’t all that ugly though. It was sort of… pretty.

It did move _awfully_ slowly though. And it kept making these horrible low noises and muttering to itself.

He risked coming the smallest bit closer to the man, still hidden by the trees.

“...fuckin’ swamp forest. Bet there’s goblins here too. Probably wait till it’s dark out then they’ll all come out of these creepy ass trees and eat my face…”

The man continued to mutter nonsensically about things that might come to eat various parts of it’s body.

It’s worries weren’t all asinine though. Some things in the forest most certainly _would_ eat this creature. And it hadn’t done _anything_ to ward itself from the darkness that lay in this forest. It must be stupid.

The creature shouted suddenly as it’s ankle caught in a trap and it’s body was violently yanked upwards so it dangled upside down, swinging about an arm’s length above the forest floor. Castiel crept forward, recognizing the markings carved into the trees beside the trap as that of the ghouls.

This man was about to be gutted, ripped apart, and cooked over a spit for the ghouls to feast on.   

Unless…

But he shouldn’t. It really wasn’t his place… Michael wouldn’t want him to. No one would want him to. Gabriel might.

He groaned and kicked a calloused foot against the dirt, jaw working as he contemplated.

It felt wrong to let this somewhat beautiful, but more importantly, completely helpless and pathetic creature, die.

And ghouls didn’t kill quickly, they were merciless and they took enjoyment from the act of slaughter.

He sighed, having made up his mind.

Oh, if Michael could see him now.

Castiel emerged from the woods, putting himself in full view of the man for the first time. It’s eyes widened in fright and Castiel noticed for the first time how _green_ they were, like the leaves in the warm season.

Castiel approached the man without saying a word, pulling his knife from his belt.

“W-w-wait!!!” The man shouted, voice shrill with panic and hands coming up to shield it’s face.

He didn’t understand why the man would want to hang there for any longer, so he didn’t heed the man’s request, continuing to walk forward until he was close enough to cut the creature free. At which point the man unsheathed some sort of extra long knife, slashing madly at the air in front of him and trying to stab Castiel. Castiel leapt back out of it’s reach.

“Why are you attacking me?” Castiel asked, perplexed. “Or… trying to.”

“You can talk?” The man narrowed his eyes at him and stilled his weapon, though he didn’t put it away, keeping it held protectively in front of himself.

“Yes.” What a strange question to ask. Castiel was quickly growing impatient with this creature. “I’m trying to cut you down before you’re gutted and eaten by a mob of ghouls! Will you stop trying to stab me with your long knife so I can cut you down?”

The man folded his arms across his chest, long knife _still_ in hand. “I can cut _myself_ down, thank you very much.”

Castiel raised an eyebrow. “Not with _that_. You need a special sort of magick in your blade to cut through ropes made by ghouls, they’re deceptively clever creatures. But if you insist that you don’t need my help, I’m happy to leave you to fend for yourself. I’m sure you could nick at least one ghoul with that thing. He might even need to use a healing balm.” Castiel snickered and turned his back, walking slowly away, waiting to hear the creature pleading for him to return and come to it's rescue.

Maybe the human would even give him some sort of reward for his help. Like... a kiss. He’d heard that sometimes people were kissed when they saved someone’s life. And the man was _somewhat_ beautiful. A kiss from the creature surely wouldn’t be _un_ pleasant. Although… Castiel wasn’t _entirely_ sure how kisses worked.

He stopped and spun on his heel when he heard no pleading, wondering if somehow the ghouls had already gotten the creature in the short amount of time he’d had his back turned.

What he found instead was the man folded in half, bent upwards as he tried uselessly to cut the rope that bound him.

Castiel rolled his eyes, a habit he had picked up from his older brother Gabriel, and leaned back against the trunk of a tree, folding his arms and watching the creature’s somewhat amusing attempts to free itself.

Panting, the man finally flopped back down, arms dangling above it’s head. It glared at Castiel, red faced and sweaty.

“Fine,” the man grunted, sheathing it’s long knife. “You can cut me down.”

“Oh, I _can_?” Castiel repeated, running a finger along his blade and not moving from his comfortable spot up against the tree. “Is that a request or a demand?” His eyes flicked from his blade to pin the creature’s glaring green ones.

The man breathed deeply, shutting its eyes for a moment before reopening and pulling it’s mouth into a strange shape. Like an angry imitation of happiness. “Will you _please_ cut me down, oh almighty… weird little elf man?”

“I am not _little_ ,” Castiel bit back, drawing away from the tree and extending himself to his full height, puffing his chest out slightly.

The creature… _laughed_ at him!

Castiel huffed, flushing angrily and turned right back around. The somewhat beautiful man could get eaten by ghouls for all he cared. Castiel wasn’t going to help someone if he was only going to be mocked for it.  

“Wait!” The creature called out, panic lacing it’s voice again. “I’m sorry I laughed at your… preening. _Please_ come cut me down.”

Castiel came to a stop, folding his arms across his chest and staring up at the sky peeking through the tops of the trees. The sky had an orange hue to it, dusk was approaching. Ghouls hunted at night.

Castiel strode quickly back to the man, cutting him down with one efficient slice of his blade. The man grunted and groaned in pain when he clattered to the ground and Castiel leaned over him.

“That was _not_ preening,” he growled.

The man rolled his eyes and Castiel reared back, eyes widening. Humans knew that gesture too?

It got stiffly to it’s feet, eyes sweeping over Castiel as it brushed dirty hands pointlessly over filthy clothes.

“Thank you.” It stuck it’s hand out towards Castiel. “I’m Dean, Prince Dean.”

He stared at the large, grimy hand extended towards him, unsure what he was supposed to do with it. Did the man expect _more_ from him? Humans _were_ greedy. Michael had been right. The thought flooded Castiel with disappointment, and then anger.

Castiel narrowed his eyes at the man. “I just saved your life and you want _more_ from me?” Castiel spat at the ground near the creature’s feet. “I should have left you to the ghouls, Dean Prince Dean.”

Castiel turned once again and walked away from the man.

“What?”

He flinched as he felt a hand grab at his shoulder, spinning and catching the arrogant creature’s wrist in a firm grip, corner of his mouth twitching up in a snarl.

“I don’t want anything from you, it’s a gesture of- _ah_ \- good will!” The man’s face contorted in pain. “Please stop twisting my wrist like that.”

He released the man’s wrist, eyes still narrowed in suspicion. “Good will?”

“Yeah, like, hey, my name’s bla bla bla, what’s your name? Then you shake hands, it’s just something people do.”

“Your name is Bla Bla Bla? I thought you said your name was Dean Prince Dean? See! You _are_ a liar, untrustworthy.”

Dean Prince Dean, or Bla Bla Bla, who knew at this point, shook it’s head, looking confused. “My name is Dean. I’m a prince so, Prince Dean. But, just Dean is fine. Just… forget about the bla bla bla part, apparently elves are very literal creatures. Who knew? I thought you guys all baked cookies in the trees out here or somethin’.”

“Why would we do that?”

The man shut it's eyes and shook it's head briefly. “Never mind. So, uh, what’s your name?” It's eyes roamed over Castiel again. “Blue eye pointy ears?”

“No, my name is Castiel.”

Castiel knew he wasn’t supposed to share his name with any creature outside of his tribe. But… well this man was probably too dull to be a danger.

“Goodbye now.”

Castiel turned away from the man for the last time, intent on returning back to his tribe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this story is gonna bounce POV's from Castiel to Dean every chapter. Yeah, let me know what you think!!! :)


	3. Chapter 3

“Wha- _goodbye now_?! That’s it? You can’t just-” He mimicked the elf’s gravelly voice, “‘Goodbye now,’ me!”

The elf didn’t even stop, peering briefly over it’s shoulder with what was undeniably a smirk before returning his gaze to the path ahead of him.

“Dude!” Dean exclaimed, arms spread in the universal gesture of ‘what the fuck’.

But the elf, Castiel, just slipped into the trees and Dean knew he was alone again.

Well, fine. That was fine by him.

Dean could find his own way through this fuckin’ forest. He didn’t need some whimsical little forest elf to help him. Although he really wasn’t that little.

Dean thought elves were supposed to be little three foot munchkins that sat around on toadstools all day. Not six feet of dagger wielding lean muscle and sex hair.

And he _would_ have found some way to save himself if elf dude with his pointy ears and his blue… _blue_ eyes hadn’t… he wasn’t even gonna say saved him. _Happened upon him_ , and… _chanced_ a… _meeting of his blade_ with… the rope tied around Dean’s ankle.

Dean sighed. Okay, he had been saved!

He winced as he stepped down a little too hard on the ankle that he had been hoisted in the air by not too long ago. It was tender and he couldn’t put a lot of weight on it without feeling a sharp pain. Shit. He really was gonna die in this forest.

He continued to limp down the path he had been on earlier, since he really wasn’t sure what else to do. The sky filtering through the leaves overhead was quickly growing dark, and as it did the leaves started to… change color.

The emerald leaves grew from their oval shape to something long and spindly, darkening to black. Though the light that leaked through the forest canopy gave them a dark blue tint. The beige bark of the trees changed color as well to a color comparable to the pale yellow of the moon. The branches themselves lengthening, like they were reaching out.

If it wasn’t so frightening he might think it was beautiful.

Not that he was scared of some color changing trees.

And suddenly the elf’s attire made a lot more sense. He’d wondered why the elf wasn’t in greens and browns, since living in a forest, you’d want to be able to camouflage yourself. But the elf had been in black, maybe dark blue if you looked close, which Dean had not. He’d also found it strange that the elf’s clothing had seemed… warm.

The material of his dark pants hadn’t looked thin or cotton-like, which is what Dean would wear if he lived in this fuckin’ swamp forest. His dark shirt had looked to be a somewhat lighter material than his pants, hanging to mid thigh and held tight to his lean frame by the belt around his hips. The sleeves exposing almost the full length of sinewy arms, striated with tanned muscles… Dean wondered how the hell _elves_ got muscles.

Not big bulging muscles, like a laborer might have. Slim, rippling just beneath the surface. Muscles that helped you move quick and… probably other things. Probably stupid elf things. Like… skipping through the forest and looking for people to taunt.

Show off.

“Oh, you need a certain sort of _magick_ in your blade to cut down that rope,” Dean mimicked, his voice rising high and waving his hands about in a ridiculous manner as he imitated the stupid smug elf. “Oh look at me, big stupid elf man with my special magic knife!”

Dean huffed, shivering a little. The sweat on his shirt quickly cooling as the moon rose higher in the sky.

He should probably find somewhere to sleep. He doubted he could fall asleep in this forest but he supposed he should at least try.

He spotted a place where the trees thinned and opened into a clearing just a little up ahead. He didn’t want to let his guard down anywhere near these ever-changing trees, he had a strange feeling that they were somehow alive.

As soon as he entered the clearing a feeling of bliss, safe, happy, _safe_ , washed over him. The grass was so green, and so soft when he laid down in it, the small blades tickling his cheek. And the whole clearing was silent. No strange branches crunching, no howls in the distance, just silence. It wrapped around him, pressing him deeper into the soft ground and he shut his eyes, falling into sleep easily.

  
  


“... wouldn’t want a _human_ , Alston.”

“Maybe we should let Oberon decide what he wants. Not just _anyone_ can enter this meadow, Ordella. He must be worthy of servicing King Oberon.”

“But he’s so… dirty.”

Dean was still half asleep and pretty sure he was dreaming when he felt thin fingers poke and stretch his cheeks.

“He’s still beautiful though.”

Dean’s eyes flew open, coming face to face with two of the strangest looking creatures he’d ever seen. They had pale greenish blue skin that fuckin’ _glittered_ , neither of them covered with anything but some flowers and leaves and spread behind them were glossy wings that looked paper thin and fragile, beating softly.

Dean scrabbled backwards, boots tearing up the pristine grass.

“Who the fuck are you?!”

They both shared a look, the female seemed to be saying ‘I told you so’.

The male answered him, well, kind of. “Who we are is not of import. We are taking you to Oberon, _King_ of the Faerie. You will service him.” He said the second part with a grand air, like he was announcing something aweing that should have Dean gasping and jumping up and down in excitement.

“... Faerie?”

“ _King_ , of the Faerie.”

“Wait… what do you mean by ‘service’?”

They both just smiled at him, stepping forward and latching onto his arms with surprising strength before Dean had a chance to get away.

Dean was a little embarrassed he had been unable to fight off two creatures that _glittered_. He certainly had ample time to wallow in his shame as they paraded him through an entirely new part of the forest. He was tied by his ankles and wrists to a long stick that they carried over their shoulders. He was like a pig being taken to the slaughter.

Or to _service_. He shuddered. He didn’t wanna service some faerie! He didn’t give a shit that this faerie was a _King_. Dean himself would be a King someday. The title didn’t impress him.

Dean searched his surroundings, mind racing as he tried to think of someway out of this. He got a little distracted by the scenery. Each part of this forest was different, or maybe it was just constantly changing. The bark on these trees was a pale blue, the branches hanging down low to the ground, even the softest breezes sending ripples through the things, soft white blossoms falling to the dirt every time the wind did rustle them.

He was only mesmerized for a moment though, quickly returning to search for some way out of his predicament.

It didn’t seem likely he was gonna be able to fight his way out of this one. Time to put his big mouth to use.

“You know, all my past lovers have complained of my horrific breath. But King Oberon probably likes a little stank right? And I hope he doesn’t mind um…” Dean trailed off purposefully, then added in an optimistic tone, “well you know, you can do a lot with a little.”

The faeries exchanged another look amongst themselves but didn’t respond to Dean.

“And I’m _really_ good with my mouth, I mean sometimes I get a little bitey, but that’s only resulted in _one_ injury. And to be honest the guy didn’t have much to begin with. If I bit a little off of this Oberon guy he’s probably got plenty extra to work with.”

This time the look they exchanged was a little more disturbed. “You… bit someone’s genitalia off when you were trying to pleasure them?” The female asked, eyes wide.

“Yeah but, he _said_ he liked it rough.”

Dean tried hard to keep the grin off his face. He needed these faeries to believe that he would truly make the most horrendous lover for their King. Which he understood, was a stretch, just look at him. He was obviously an amazing lover. But this King Oberon guy wasn’t gonna get even a _taste_ of this sweet ass. What kind of creep had an entire meadow designed to trap people to use as dildos anyway?

“Alston… perhaps we should just put him back.”

Dean looked hopefully up at the male faerie, but Alston just shook his head. “He can be trained, broken in.”

Oh god. This wasn’t funny anymore. Dean started thrashing, trying desperately to get loose.

“Stop that or we will be forced to knock you out!” Alston barked.

Dean begrudgingly stopped thrashing, he couldn’t risk having his head bashed in. He at least needed to have his wits about him.

“Faerie! What are you doing with property that does not belong to you?”

Wait a second… Dean knew that voice. No way.

Dean craned his head back and, yup, there he was. That fuckin’ elf. Dean was torn between relief at the familiar face and mortification at the prospect of some elf saving him _twice_.

The faeries came to a stop, the momentum swinging Dean slightly.

“The human belongs to Oberon, King of the Faeries. How dare you have the gall to try and claim otherwise?” Alston bit out.

Castiel continued forward, coming to a stop not too far away. His eyes flicked briefly down to Dean’s, his expression unreadable. “The human already belongs to someone else.”

“And who would that be?” Ordella sneered.

“Me,” Castiel growled out, looking menacing as he stared the two of them down, fingers twitching towards the blade on his belt.

Wait, what? Dean was _not_ this elf’s property. He was _royalty_ for god sake. “I am _no one’s_ property!” Dean shouted, thrashing again.

Castiel shot him an exasperated look. “I saved his life, according to faerie law, that life now belongs to me. So give me back my human and be on your way.”

The faeries seemed to be thinking it over. “No,” Ordella said, ring of finality and dismissal to her voice. “ _We_ caught him. We’re not going to give the best creature we’ve caught in months to the likes of you, _elf_.”

Castiel sighed, looking bored as he raised an eyebrow. He looked between the two of them for a second longer. Then, moving so quickly that no one had time to react, Castiel tore his knife from his belt, throwing it where it reached it’s destination with a dull thwack and suddenly Dean was face first on the forest floor.

Ordella shrieked and Dean could hear her whimpering. “Please, please, have mercy.”

“Go, and if I see you take anyone else from that horrible meadow you can be sure that I will not be so merciful next time.”

He heard some scrabbling and the soft pitter patter of feet as Ordella ran away. Dean rolled so he was no longer inhaling dirt, and then screamed himself, as he came face to face with Alston, who had Castiel’s knife embedded deep in the center of his forehead. Deep purple leaked from the wound and into the faerie’s wide open eyes.

“Holy shit you killed him! You fucking killed him!”

Strong hands grabbed Dean by the back of his shirt, yanking him away from the dead faerie and spinning him so he couldn’t see it anymore. Castiel didn’t meet his eyes as he cut Dean free with a purple stained knife.

“Oh god.” Dean was gonna be sick.

Castiel wiped his blade off on his pants, finally meeting Dean’s eyes and looking confused by the horror in them. “Alston would have taken you to his King to be raped and forced to pleasure him for the rest of your life. He’s taken countless others before you. And he would’ve taken countless after you.”

“Yeah but…” Dean got shakily to his feet, sparing another glance at the still body of the glittery creature. “You just _killed_ him. Like it was nothing.”

The elf grabbed the front of Dean’s shirt then, shoving him against the nearest tree. Dean swallowed instinctively as those eyes bore into him, the elf’s lip pulling up in a snarl. “Do not think it is nothing for me to take the life of another. I do not kill for pleasure. I only kill when there is no other option. And with him, trust me, there wasn’t.”

He released Dean and continued on down the trail, just like before. Like he hadn’t just murdered someone for Dean.

“Hold on just a fucking minute!” Dean shouted after him, anger heating his veins as he strode after the elf, ignoring the shooting pain in his ankle. “How the hell did you even find me? What, were you following me or something?”

The elf stopped in his tracks, not bothering to face Dean as he spoke. “I did not follow you. I was told by, a friend, that you were in trouble. I’ve dealt with the faerie before… I didn’t think that you deserved the fate that awaited you.” He carried on down the forest path, apparently thinking that would be enough for Dean and they could both just go off on their merry way.

Dean grabbed the elf by the shoulder to spin him, careful to move his hands out of the way once he was turned. “What _friend_?”

Castiel straightened up haughtily, hands on his belt as he… fidgeted. He was fidgeting! “You don’t know him.”

Dean folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes, which only made the elf fidget more. “You _followed_ me!” Dean accused.

The elf stopped fidgeting with his belt, hands balling into fists at his sides. “I happened upon you again by mistake! I did not follow you!”

Dean smirked a little, deciding to take a note from the elf’s playbook and spun on his heel, not saying a word as he strode off down the path in the opposite direction. It was only a few seconds before he heard footsteps rushing to catch up.

“What are you doing?”

Dean didn’t answer, continuing to walk in silence with his arms folded across his chest.

“Human, stop that this instant!”

He continued to walk, trying not to wince at the growing pain in his ankle. He couldn’t help but gasp in pain though when his foot caught on a branch. He quickly recovered, taking a breath and continuing down the path.

“You’re injured,” the elf stated.

Dean glanced over a little at the elf, but said nothing. The next thing he knew a firm hand was wrapped around his ankle, pulling and knocking him off his feet, and he was once again face first in leaves and dirt. “What are you doing?!” Dean demanded, trying to get up again only to find himself pinned by a weight across the back of his thighs.

He craned his neck around to find the elf _sitting_ on him and bending his injured ankle towards himself before ripping Dean’s boot off ungracefully.

“Let me go!”

Castiel peered back at him. “So now you talk.”

“Yeah, when someone tackles me to the ground and sits on me, I generally have something to say about it!”

Castiel refocused his attention on Dean’s throbbing ankle, placing two fingers against the swollen skin there. For a moment nothing happened, but then the elf’s eyes filled with this pale blue light and soft tendrils of the same color spilled from the elf’s finger tips, wrapping around his ankle before seeping beneath his skin. And suddenly his ankle wasn’t swollen anymore, no pain shot through it when he rolled it. It didn’t even make that weird popping sound that it used to always make.

Castiel got off of him then, standing and watching Dean expectantly with his hands on his hips. Dean rolled and sat up, staring in bewilderment at his newly healed ankle.

“How did you do that?”

The elf looked a little smug. “All elves have some degree of healing powers. It’s a little bit draining but-” Castiel swayed, eyes rolling back into his head and promptly dropped to the ground.

Dean rolled his eyes and shoved his foot back into his boot. “Show off,” Dean muttered.

He bent and poked the elf, trying to gage just how out of it he was. He didn’t even make a noise. Dean eyed the knife on the elf’s belt. He could just take it. That would probably keep him safe from most things in this damn forest.

But… well the elf had kinda saved his life… twice. And knocked himself out healing Dean’s ankle.

He sighed. He wasn’t a total dick. Besides, it couldn’t hurt to have someone who knew this forest inside and out with him. Castiel could probably get him to the tower in no time at all. And then he could be done with this stupid fucking quest.

Of course… that would mean he’d be married.

He tried not to think about that and bent to pick up the limp elf, throwing him over his shoulder. He looked down the path, then swiveled to look down the other end.

He had no idea which way was the right way.

“Eenie meenie, minie, moe, catch a smug little elf by the toe, if he hollers let him go, eenie meenie, minie, moe.” His finger ended up pointing down to his right, so that’s the direction he started walking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments seriously make my weeks, let me know what you're thinking, or your reactions!! :)
> 
> And thank you for reading! *bows to you all and does a little curtsie* *back flips into the Oberon's kingdom*


	4. Chapter 4

Castiel was being smacked repeatedly in the face with… what was that? Slippery white material, that stunk, and was no longer really very white, but more the color of the forest floor. Castiel took some of the material in his fist for closer inspection when he realized there was a firm hand on his buttocks.

He startled abruptly, trying to get out of whoever’s grip he was in.

“Stop squirming!”

Castiel recognized that voice. He looked down, seeing the forest floor passing quickly beneath him. “Why are you manhandling me? And why are you running?”

“I’m not _manhandling_ you, you knocked yourself out with your little magic trick. I’m doing you a favor, you’re welcome. And I’m running because for some reason darkness is closing in on us.”

Castiel straightened himself up a bit so he could look behind the human. “You might want to run faster, we’re about to be engulfed.”

The human groaned loudly, coming to a stop and setting Castiel on his feet before taking off sprinting. Castiel sighed and took off after the human, Dean, he guessed was his name… it’s name, no need to get familiar.

He caught up quickly with the human and could easily overtake him, but then he’d just feel obligated to come back and rescue the pathetic thing again anyway.

“Why did you take me here? This is a _very_ dangerous part of the forest.”

“I just picked a direction and started walking! How the hell am I supposed to know which parts of this friggin’ forest are dangerous?! You’re the damn forest elf!”

He didn’t really care for the way this human was raising his voice at him. “I was unconscious, if you recall, because of the efforts I made to heal _you_! _After_ , I might add, I saved your life, _again_!”

Castiel couldn’t really recall anyone ever making him quite this angry, but this human was absolutely infuriating.

“Yeah, hold that over my head forever why don’t you! I saved your life too! I could’ve just left you completely vulnerable, passed out on the forest floor! I could’ve robbed you and left you for dead! But I didn’t, I carried your heavy ass through this damn forest!” The human looked derange, face flushing and veins popping in his neck as he screamed.

“You carried me to my death!” Castiel screamed right back at him.

The dark clouds billowing towards them finally met their backs, swallowing them in blackness that brought a silence along with it. For a moment there was nothing but the absolute darkness that surrounded them and a ringing hum in the air. Castiel had the feeling that he was within a great beast, although he knew that to be false. This darkness was not a living thing, just a cloak for certain creatures to hunt under.

Castiel’s feet slowed to a stop beneath him as he tried in vain to see anything through the permeating black.

“Dean.” It was the first time he had used the human’s name aloud, and he wished his voice hadn’t come out so small and unsure.

“Castiel?”

He reached out for the voice, looking for something to latch onto and felt something soft beneath his fingertips. His fingers curled, tightening on the fabric and feeling warm skin beneath. Rough hands were suddenly over his own and Castiel’s stomach flipped.

“Dean?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

The human’s voice was right in front of him and he realized he must be clutching the human’s shirt. The gesture felt… too intimate. It made Castiel’s insides feel strange so he moved his hand quickly to the creature’s shoulder instead, letting his other hand drop to his side.  

“The darkness itself will not hurt us,” Castiel told the human. “It’s used by certain creatures to stun their victims, make them scared and reckless. Easier to hunt.”

The human’s hand closed around his wrist. Castiel was aware that contact was important if they didn’t want to lose each other in the darkness. But Castiel wished it wasn’t necessary. The human’s hands were incredibly warm and it was a little distracting, it was raising his entire body temperature.

“Okay, so, what do we do?”

“Nothing. These creatures are weak, and they use trickery to capture their victims. Our best chance at surviving is simply doing nothing. They will not come after us. They wait until you come to them. So no matter what, do not move.”

“So… we just stand here? For how long?”

“As long as is necessary, and we can sit. If you’d like.”

There was a thud and he assumed that Dean had sat down abruptly. “I’ve been walkin’ for the past two days, I’ll sit.”

Castiel sat down a little slower, crossing his legs in front of himself. There was some shuffling and he felt the human’s knee against his own. Castiel took in a deep breath and prepared to wait.

His thoughts rattled around in his head, no longer held at bay by the distraction of saving the human, or wondering what strange, stupid, thing he was doing. The rest of his tribe would surely have noticed his absence by now. They would be furious when they found out what Castiel had done.

How many times would they give him another chance before they banished him for good? Why couldn’t Castiel just be like the other elves? Why was he the only one who ever wandered off? Who asked questions? Surely the others were curious too… weren’t they? Was it just him?

None of the others would have followed the human in the first place, let alone felt strangely obligated to save him. Why couldn’t Castiel just be like the other elves? If he had done what the others would have done, he never would have been in this situation in the first place. Why did he have to be so different?

“So…”

Castiel jumped a bit, having forgotten momentarily that he was not alone. The source of all his problems was directly in front of him.

“Did you grow up around here or…?”

Why did this human ask the most asinine questions? He was an elf, a forest elf, of course he had grown up in this forest. He was overcome for a moment with anger towards this human. His blood ran with fire as he thought about how it was this human’s fault that he had strayed so far from his tribe in the first place. His fault that he had come closer to death in the past few days than he had in probably his entire existence.

“Why are you even in this forest?” Castiel exclaimed, feeling bitter and angry. “How could you be _stupid_ enough to wander in here without so much as a weapon?”

“Okay, first of all, _buddy_ , I _do_ have a weapon. Just ‘cause it ain’t ‘magick’ or whatever doesn’t mean it can’t hack someone to bits. And I’m in this stupid forest because I’m on a quest. A _royal_ quest.”

“Oh, a royal quest?” Castiel retorted. “Is it a _royal_ quest?”

“Yeah, it _is_. I’m rescuing a princess!”

Castiel laughed cruelly. “ _You_? Rescue someone? Is that some sort of joke?”

“You know what? Fuck you!”

Castiel didn’t even know what that meant but he knew it was an insult, and he’d had _enough_ of this arrogant _thing_. He lunged forward, grasping blindly until he felt the human beneath his hands, tackling it to the ground. He grabbed fistfuls of the creature’s ridiculous shirt, slamming the creature down into the dirt, the thing groaning beneath him satisfyingly. “I saved your life and I could just as easily leave you to die. You should show me some _respect_.”

The human pulled roughly at his hair and then Castiel was on his back, a warm weight pinning him down. “I’m not gonna show you respect just for being a cocky bastard with a god complex.”

Castiel reached blindly until he felt the human’s head beneath his hand, smacking it with a loud thwack. The human grabbed his wrists then, pinning them to his chest and Castiel was surprised when he couldn’t break the grip.

“ _Stop_. I don’t know what the hell your deal is, but I’m not gonna be smacked around for no reason. And I’m pretty sure killing each other isn’t gonna help us _survive_ , idiot.”

Castiel exhaled sharply, some of the heat leaving him. The human was right. It didn’t help anything to fight each other. No matter _how_ infuriating he was. Castiel’s hands slowly unclenched from fists, he didn’t feel quite so angry any more. He felt a little foolish. His heart still wouldn’t slow down though and he still felt too hot.

“I’ll stop attacking you. You can get off of me now.”

Dean released his grip on Castiel’s wrists, moving off of him so that Castiel wasn’t pinned anymore. He sat up, moving around until his knee was pressed to the human’s again. There was silence again for a bit, the air between them a bit awkward.

“So, you’re on a quest. That must be… grand.”

The human huffed. “Yeah, not really. I actually… I lost my horse, and my supplies, and my map, on the first day.”

Castiel laughed a little bit. “How did you manage that?”

“Troll tricked me.”

Castiel nodded knowingly, though the human couldn’t see him. Trolls were very tricky creatures. “It’s happened to the best of us.”

“I don’t…. I don’t suppose you’d wanna help me get the tower that lies in the center of this forest? I could pay you. And you know, I’m sure you’d be rewarded greatly for helping out the ‘mess of a prince’.”

“The tower in the center of the forest? Are you sure you want to go there?”

The human was silent for a lot longer than he had expected. But finally he answered with a resigned, “Yes, I’m sure.”

Castiel thought on the offer for a moment. The risk of not being allowed to ever return to his tribe again would be high if he accepted the human’s offer. And the tower was probably the most difficult to reach, heavily guarded thing in this forest. It was the sort of adventure Castiel had always craved. “I will help you. But you must listen to me and not question my every command.”

The human sighed. “Fine, deal. Shake on it?”

“Shake what?”

“Hands, dude, you shake hands when you make a deal with someone.”

He thought that would be rather pointless, especially since the human had no way of seeing that his hand was in fact shaking. But Castiel held his hand up and started shaking it. “I’m shaking my hand, are you shaking yours?”

The human laughed, it was a nice sound. He felt the human’s large hand against his shoulder. He stilled as the hand ran smoothly down his arm, taking hold of his hand. His stomach felt strange again, like when Castiel leapt down from branches that were too high to be leapt down from, the air rushing past him and making his stomach swoop.

The human pumped his hand up and down firmly, twice.

“There, that’s how you shake on something.” The human’s voice had gone soft, gruff edge vanishing. His hand was still clasped in the human’s, Dean’s, he supposed he should start use the human’s name if he was going to accompany him on his quest.

Castiel was going to ask how long it was customary to hold hands after shaking on a deal when he heard the sweetest sound. It was a song. Someone was singing and they were singing to _him_. Calling to him. He had to find them, he knew more surely than he’d ever known anything that he had to find the owner of that voice. He had to go to them.

Castiel dropped the human’s hand and stood.

“Cas? Where did you go?”

“Don’t you hear that?” Castiel asked, his voice sounding strange even to his own ears, entranced. “It’s beautiful. I’m going to find them.”

“What? No, okay, this sounds like exactly what you were talking about before.”

Distantly Castiel was aware of the sound of someone scrabbling to their feet but he didn’t pay it any notice. Castiel walked confidently in the heavy darkness, guided by that sweet song.

“Elf! Castiel! Do _not_ follow that voice!”

Suddenly rough hands were around Castiel’s middle, tackling him to the ground. “What are you doing?” Castiel growled, trying to get out of his captor’s grip but only managing to twist around so he was no longer face first in the dirt. “Unhand me! I need to find them! I need to go to them! They’re calling me!”

Castiel writhed and squirmed but his captor, the human, was an immovable force, pinning him to the ground.

“Cas, it’s a siren, you’re being called to your _death_.”

“I don’t _care_. I need to go, I need to go to them. Release me!”

“Okay, enough with the ‘unhand me’ and ‘release me’ nonsense, who the hell are you? I’m not moving, so you might as well get comfortable.”

He didn’t understand, Castiel _needed_ to get to the voice. The song was getting louder in his head, more insistent, piercing. It got higher and louder and louder and louder until Castiel vibrated with it, until it was all consuming, and Castiel blacked out. 


	5. Chapter 5

Dean woke with a panic when he realized he couldn’t move. He settled minutely when he realized the reason for that was the vice-like grip of Castiel’s arms around him. But only minutely.

The whole situation was still really uncomfortable. Especially how warm the elf was beneath him. He kinda made a nice mattress. 

Dean glanced around, realizing that the darkness had receded. This time the trees surrounding them felt whimsical. The bark of the thin trees was candy striped tangerine and lemon yellow, almost like some strange imitation of a sunset. The branches curled into spirals, lavender leaves sparse and falling to the ground, leaving the branches almost bare.

He wondered if the darkness receding meant that the creatures that hunted under it were gone as well. Time to find out.

He managed to get one arm out from underneath Cas, he poked him in the cheek with a tingling finger. The elf grunted and the arms he had wrapped around Dean tightened even more, making Dean wheeze out a breath as his lungs were crushed.

“Cas!” Dean whisper yelled, not wanting to risk waking anything else in this fuckin’ death trap of a forest. “Wake the fuck up!”

Castiel gasped, eyes widening as he apparently awoke all at once, and then narrowing as he saw Dean was practically nose to nose with him.

“Why are you on t-”

“Well, well, well, boys, look what we have here,” An accented voice crooned. “Our precious little elf, Cassie, and his… well who are you? Cassie’s lover it seems. Who’d have thought? The forest’s purest virgin...”

Castiel had groaned, shutting his eyes and letting his head fall back into the dirt as soon as he heard the voice. Dean struggled even more to get out of the elf’s grip. Castiel finally released him when he realized he was holding him and they scrambled away from each other.  

Dean didn’t notice anything outright strange or different about the man in front of him. He had a small smirk on his face as he eyed Dean, flanked by what looked to be two henchmen. They were all dressed in fine clothing. He looked like some sort of royalty.

“Who the hell are you supposed to be?” Dean asked, getting to his feet.

Cas got to his feet too, stepping slightly in front of Dean. “Don’t speak to him, he’s the worst kind of creature.” Castiel sent an icy glare towards the man, shifting his position in front of Dean to something defensive.

The man laughed. “Aw, Cas, you always were such a flirt.” The playful expression dropped off his face suddenly and he seemed a lot more dangerous as he took a few smooth steps towards them. “I heard one of my sirens called for you, Castiel. Why didn’t you come?” His eyes flicked briefly to Dean again. “Please don’t tell me you have… _feelings_ for the man meat here?”

Castiel’s eyes narrowed even further and Dean stepped around him. He was a prince for fuck’s sake. He was kinda over being treated like a second rate citizen by everything in this damn forest.

“I stopped him from getting murdered by your sirens by tackling him, not with _feelings_ , fuckface,” Dean spat.

The man looked slightly affronted, rearing his head back a little. But then his expression smoothed, small smirk pulling up the corner of his mouth again. “Is that so?” He sauntered a little closer to Dean and suddenly Cas was blocking his path again.

“Take a step back, Crowley,” Castiel growled out. Crowley looked rather amused by this turn of events.

“I have a certain… deal, with the creatures in this part of the forest. You understand that, don’t you, Castiel? I’m a man of my word. And when I promise a siren that when they call, their food will come, I have every intention of making sure that promise is kept. Daddy can’t let his babies go hungry, can he?”

“I don’t care if your creatures go hungry,” Castiel spat.

“I know. You never did understand what it meant to keep your word. But you see, Castiel, I just can’t have that, not in my kingdom.”

Fuckin’ hell, couldn’t they ever get a break? Like seriously, just for a fuckin’ day could it be a nice stroll in the forest? Just one day?

Castiel took his defensive position again, moving slightly in front of Dean and flexing his fingers.

“I do like to think that I’m a fair King, though. So I’ll give you a choice. You can take a little trip with me to back to my castle…”

“Or?” Castiel prompted.

“Or, I’ll let something much nastier than a siren call for you when the darkness comes back. And it _will_ come back, sooner rather than later if you don’t come with me.”

“We’ll take our chances.”

Dean was feeling a little more torn than Cas seemed to be. It had been _hard_ to keep him pinned down. He kept passing out but then he’d wake up again, writhing and absolutely out of his mind trying to get to the siren. Dean really didn’t wanna find out what else was lurking in the darkness and ready to kill them.

“Why do you want us to come with you to your castle?” Dean asked quickly. Castiel whipped his head around to pin Dean with a glare. Dean ignored him for the moment, eyes trained on Crowley.

A smirk spread slowly over Crowley’s face. “I’m just having a little dinner party, and really, you two would just be the perfect guests. The cherry on top.” His eyes raked greedily over Dean’s body again and Dean tried not to let it show how uncomfortable it made him.

“Can we… talk privately for a moment?”

“Oh, of course, I’m not here.” Crowley held his hands up placatingly and walked a short distance away from them.

“What the hell are you doing?” Castiel hissed, turning once again so he was between Dean and Crowley. That was starting to annoy Dean. Dean could handle himself goddammit, he didn’t some sort of elven bodyguard to protect him.

“I’m looking at all our options, Cas!” Dean hissed back. “You were totally out of it, you had absolutely _no_ control over yourself last night. If I hadn’t physically held you down you would have walked off to your death _happily_. Does that not bother you at all? Do you really wanna just roll the dice and hope we survive that darkness again?”

Castiel crossed his arms, clenching his teeth stubbornly, but Dean could see the gears were turning as Cas took in his words. Those blue eyes flicked back up to Dean’s, pinning him under his gaze. “And how is Crowley’s…” He shut his eyes, shaking his head slightly. “ _Dinner party_ , going to be any better? He’s going to kill us. Knowing him, probably in a ridiculous, theatrical, and humiliating manner. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather die with dignity.”

“I’d rather not die at all!” Dean sighed. “Look, Cas, we’re not complete idiots, you seem to be pretty good with that knife of yours. I figure we play nice, and the first opening we see to escape, we take it. Every castle has weak spots, points you can escape from and sneak into, trust me, I grew up in one.”

Castiel was silent, eyes searching Dean’s. Finally he gave a small nod. “Fine. But this is your plan. If it goes poorly I’m not going to save you this time.”

Dean smirked a little and winked at the elf. “Sure ya will.”

He sauntered away from the confused elf.

“‘Kay, Crowley, we’ll go to your dinner party.”

“Wonderful,” Crowley clapped his hands together, looking truly delighted. “Now, as for travel arrangements…” Crowley trailed off, snapping his fingers and his lackeys came forward again, opening up what looked like a bamboo coffin with sticks protruding from the ends so that it could be easily carried over two sets of shoulders.

“Oh fuck no.”

Someone slapped Dean a little roughly on the back and he turned to find Cas smirking at him. “Your plan,” He whispered. “You can get in first.”

“Can’t we just… walk?” Dean asked, already knowing the answer.

“Sorry, can’t risk you two trying to pull any funny business, in you go.”

Dean grumbled some more but got into the small wooden crate, at least it was tall enough that he could lay out in it. But then he realized the elf had to get in here with him and he groaned again. Castiel stood beside the open box, looking like he was trying to figure out the best way to lay out in the thing. There wasn’t a best way.

“Oh just get in will you?” Dean snapped.

Castiel shot him a glare. “Lay on your side.”

“No,” Dean snipped back. “I got in first, so I get dibs on how I want to lay inside this coffin. I wanna lay on my back.”

“Well then the only I can lay in there is if I’m directly on top of you!”

Dean shrugged. “That sounds like your problem.”

“Boys! Would you quit bickering and just get in the damn thing already?” Crowley snapped.

Castiel looked like he was ready to murder all of them. He crawled into the coffin, laying on top of Dean back to chest so that Dean got a faceful of messy hair.

“Ugh, seriously dude?” Dean griped, turning and tipping Cas onto his side so at least his skull wouldn’t break Dean’s nose if this thing bounced at all. On their sides wasn’t all that much better though, it was a tight fit and just about every part of their bodies were smooshed together.

“You were the one who wanted to lay on your back,” Cas reminded him, sounding pretty damn smug for someone who was about to be trapped in a small wooden box for an indefinite amount of time.

Crowley stood over the open box for a minute, sly grin firmly in tact as he peered down at them. “Well you two sure do look cozy.” He chuckled. “This is going to be perfect.” He shut the lid, locking it with a loud click and a feeling of dread settled in Dean’s stomach.

There was still light spilling in through the cracks in the wood, but it didn’t help Dean feel like these walls weren’t closing in on him.

“So how the hell do you even know this dickwad?” Dean asked, looking for a distraction.

“He tried to make a deal with me.”

Dean shifted a little, the arm pinned beneath him was already starting to fall asleep. He bent his arm so it rested against Cas’s back, his other hand laying a little awkwardly against his own hip. “You wanna elaborate on that at all or…?”

“I was young and foolish. I had run away and was looking for some sort of escape. I was lucky that my brother found me when he did.” Cas was silent for a moment, shifting a little awkwardly. “I don’t want to elaborate anymore.”

“Okay. Um, sorry. I shouldn’t’ve asked. It’s none of my business.”

“No, it’s not.”

“You don’t have to be a dick about it, I apologized.”

“I am not acting like a penis!”

“What?!” Dean exclaimed, voice going up an octave or two with his incredulity.

“I _said_ , I am not acting like a penis. Are you deaf?”

“Good lord how the hell is _anyone_ this literal?”

Castiel tried to squirm around so he could glare at Dean, instead just rocking back into him in a very... inappropriate, manner. Dean grabbed Cas’s hip a little roughly, pushing the elf away from him.

“Cas, do _not_ move like that.”

“...sorry,” Cas apologized, sounding a little embarrassed.

Another tense silence filled the air between them when Dean didn’t remove his hand from Cas’s hip immediately. Dean pried his fingers off of Cas’s hip but just let his arm drape over him, hand resting on the wood in front of Castiel’s stomach. It was just more comfortable that way.

Castiel was completely stiff for a moment before relaxing slightly and leaning back into Dean a little bit. Dean might have adjusted just the smallest amount so Cas’s back was almost flush with his chest. It was kind of cold in this coffin.

“None of this ever leaves this coffin,” Dean warned.

“It’s not a coffin, it’s just a box.”

Dean sighed.

“But I agree, none of this ever leaves this box.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you're all enjoying my strange little take on a fairytale. Thank you all for reading and leaving a kudos or a comment!!


	6. Chapter 6

Castiel could feel a small kernel of affection for the human growing inside his chest. Despite his… stupidity, and rather annoying practices. He was kind to Castiel. He had apparently stayed up the whole night, making sure Castiel didn’t walk off to his death. Castiel was pretty sure he was stronger than the human, it couldn’t have been easy to keep him held down. But he had. 

And he kept apologizing every time their small crate was jostled, although he obviously had no control over it. The arm he had around Castiel’s middle almost felt protective.

Not that Castiel needed protecting. And he  _ especially  _ didn’t need  _ Dean _ to protect him. The human could barely protect  _ himself _ . But Castiel found that he enjoyed the thought anyway. 

It was a bit strange. Elves didn’t seek physical comfort the way other creatures did. They didn’t usually show affection this way either. Castiel had only been hugged once in his life, by his mother, when he’d had a run in with a rather vicious water nymph and had almost been drowned. He was five.

This- well, he wasn’t sure if this sort of embrace could really be called a hug, maybe a hug from behind- sort of hug felt a lot different than the one he had received from his mother. His mother’s embrace certainly hadn’t made his heart flutter, heat swooping somewhere low in his stomach that Castiel refused to identify as arousal. 

He may be a virgin but he knew what arousal felt like. This felt… similar. But it was  _ not. _

The human was far too infuriating to be arousing. Even if he was also kind… and brave. 

Castiel didn’t need the physical comfort, although he somewhat enjoyed it. He had a feeling that the human on the other hand, may need it. Every time the crate jostled, Dean’s entire body would stiffen, arm tightening slightly around Castiel’s waist before releasing slowly. He wasn’t quite sure what the human was frightened of. Maybe he thought the crate was going to tip over?

The crate jerked slightly, both Dean and Castiel rocking together slightly with the movement, Dean stiffening again. 

He didn’t like knowing the human was in distress. Castiel laid his hand tentatively over Dean’s, hoping that it was a soothing gesture. “Crowley’s servants will not drop us, if that’s what you’re frightened of.”  

Dean’s hand was still stiff beneath his. “I’m not  _ frightened _ . I just… don’t like tight spaces. Every time this goddamn thing lurches I’m reminded that we’re  _ in _ this goddamn thing.”

“Do you find the contact soothing?” Castiel asked, genuinely curious, trailing fingertips lightly over the back of Dean’s hand, feeling the delicate bones flex beneath the skin. 

“A little bit,” Dean admitted in a hushed grumble. 

“Well, I don’t mind it,” Castiel replied in the same hushed tone. 

The calloused hand beneath Castiel’s fingertips moved slightly, pressing into Castiel’s belly. Castiel’s breath quickened with the movement and he refused to name the heat that coursed through him. His fingertips chased the hand, fitting over Dean’s easily, fingers slotting over Dean’s but not hooking together. 

“Thanks, Cas.” Dean sounded almost breathless, though Castiel could feel the breath of his words on the back of his neck, sending a shiver down his spine. 

The crate jostled again and Dean’s fingers curled briefly over the skin of his stomach before flattening out again. Castiel had begun to sweat a little bit, for some reason the heat in the crate felt stifling. And he was finding it hard to swallow, his mouth had gone dry.

He never thought he’d be grateful to see Crowley, but when they came to a halting stop and the top of the crate opened to reveal Crowley smirking down at the two of them, Castiel felt unmistakably grateful. He climbed out of the box as quickly as his limbs could manage, taking in deep lungfuls of the cool air surrounding them. They were already in the castle. 

Dean stood by his side, looking all around them like he was searching for an escape. Castiel didn’t see one. 

“If you two will just follow me,” Crowley crooned, drawing their attention back to him. “The dining room’s right this way.”

Crowley turned his back to them, strolling casually through the ornate stone corridor lined with red carpet. 

“Oh!” He called back, not bothering to stop walking or turn his head. “And if you don’t follow and do exactly as I say, you might find the hallways closing in on you.” His dark laugh echoed down the corridor. “What am I saying ‘might’? It  _ will _ crush you.”

The human moved quickly to follow Crowley down the hall, grabbing onto Castiel’s arm to tug him along too. 

“I do not need you to hold my hand,” Castiel hissed, ripping his arm out of Dean’s. The human’s touch was too much for Castiel to handle right now. And he really didn’t care to contemplate why.   
  
  


“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck! Fuck. FUCK.  _ FUCK. _ ” The human stamped the ground with both feet to punctuate his last three uses of the word fuck. “You know, I’m gettin’ real tired of being locked in small spaces.”

Dean continued to pace around the small cage that held them suspended over the long dining table. Crowley’s guests had all arrived at this point and seemed to be very entertained by the human’s antics. Castiel was  _ not _ amused. _"_ _ Dean _ _,”_ He growled, grabbing onto Dean’s bicep and halting his pacing. The human looked at him with wide eyes that seemed to incredulously shout ‘ _ What?! _ ’ “Stop. Pacing. This cage is barely three feet wide and it is driving me  _ crazy _ .”

“Well I  _ pace _ when I’m stressed out. And I’m pretty sure we’re about to being eaten by your fucking forest friends!” 

Cas’s mouth pulled up into a snarl as he took a step closer to the human. “They are  _ not _ my friends. And this was  _ your _ asinine idea in the first place.” 

Dean opened his mouth angrily like he was about to argue but ended up just snapping his jaw shut, muscles jumping as he ground his teeth. 

“You’re not going to be eaten!” Crowley called out from the head of the table. “You’re being sold. It’s not very often that you find a human prince- that’s right, I know who you are, Dean- and an elf that have taken each other as mates.”  

“We’re not-” Dean began to shout, fingers curled over the bars of their cage when he suddenly started coughing mid sentence. Every time he restarted his sentence the same thing happened until he quit trying to speak. 

“What were you trying to say?” Castiel asked curiously. 

“I was  _ trying _ to tell them that we aren’t-” He gestured between the two of them with wide eyes. 

“M-” Castiel found himself coughing violently as soon as he started to say the word ‘mates’. He shot a glare toward Crowley, who returned it with a small smirk. “It appears that Crowley has put some sort of hex on us so that we can’t tell the guests the truth. We are more rare as a pair than separately. M-” He coughed again. “ _ Couples _ have a certain bond with each other. There’s a type of magick in it that some people like to exploit.”

“Well aren’t there plenty of real couples for Crowley to sell? Why is he trying to sell a fake one?”

“Yes but interspecies couples are insanely rare. You see one in maybe a thousand years.” 

Dean groaned and tipped his head back against the bars of their cage. “Great. So we’re gonna be sold to some creep who’ll probably kill us after they figure out the truth.” 

“No. That will not happen,” Castiel told him fiercely. “This cage can’t leave Crowley’s castle, which means they’ll have to open the doors at some point. And when they do I will kill anyone that stands in our way.” 

The human’s eyes searched Castiel’s for a long moment before he shook his head. “I got a better plan.” 

Castiel crossed his arms over his chest. “And what would that be?” 

Dean stepped closer that none of the guests could overhear him. “Okay, well, kill the guards if you have to, but you have to get to Crowley. If you have him as your hostage we can get out of here. ‘Cause I looked, and every single one of the people at this table have weapons on them. There’s no way we’ll make it out alive if you try to kill them all.”

Castiel chewed his lower lip as he assessed the room. Dean was right, all of these people were armed. How had he missed that? He met Dean’s eyes, green a little wide and worried, but otherwise determined. Castiel nodded quickly. “And you do what you can with that long knife of yours. Although I very much doubt you will be much of a help with it.” 

“Thanks, Cas.” The human rolled his eyes, taking a small step back to leave some space between them. 

“You are welcome, human,” Castiel responded earnestly. 

“Stop callin’ me that, will you? My name’s Dean. I stopped calling you elf.”

“Fine. You are welcome,  _ Dean _ .”

The hu-  _ Dean’s _ mouth twitched up with a smile and Castiel felt one turn up the corners of his own lips. 

“Alright, alright, enough whispering up there, lovebirds. Let’s have a look at you.”

The cage suddenly lowered so they were in the center of the large dining table, completely surrounded by curious, calculating, gazes that unnerved Castiel to his core. A redheaded woman with a cruel smile was the first to approach their cage, eyes sweeping hungrily over Dean. Castiel found himself moving so that he was blocking her gaze, snarling and growling at her like an animal. 

“Ooh,” She laughed, amusement lighting up her eyes as she continued to creep forward. “Protective of your mate, elf?” 

Dean may not be his mate but he was… he was someone Castiel had rescued, and who had rescued Castiel. And Castiel did feel protective over him. He wouldn’t let someone who wanted to  _ buy  _ Dean look at him like that. The woman’s glittering eyes continued to watch Castiel with amusement. 

“Can we take one of them out?” She asked Crowley, eyes never leaving Castiel’s.

“Erm, I’m not sure if that’s such a great idea, Abaddon.”

“Oh please, Crowley, I can handle myself. Just testing the product, if you will.”

“Which one?” Crowley sighed, sounding tired. 

“The human.” 

Another growl tore out of Castiel’s throat before he felt Dean’s hand on his shoulder, spinning him so that they were facing each other again. “Cut that out will you? This is our chance,” Dean whispered, nodding to Castiel to remind him of their plan. 

Castiel still didn’t like it. “Fine.” He turned away from Dean again, jaw twitching as he glared at Abaddon but no longer growling. 

“So, Crowley?” Abaddon asked, looking over at him with a coy smile.

“I suppose you can get a closer look at Dean.” He gestured with two fingers to his guards. “Keep a tight hold on him.” 

Then their cage was opened and Dean and Castiel were on the guards in an instant. Some guests started to scream, others laughed, some simply continued to eat. Crowley looked nervous. Castiel twisted the neck of the guard who’s back he had leapt on, glancing over to find Dean’s sinking into an unconscious heap on the table. Before any of the guests tried to stop them Castiel sprinted down the table, leaping over dishes and cutlery before skidding off the table and pulling Crowley up out of his chair, blade to his throat. 

“Nobody move!” Castiel bellowed, making eye contact with the guests seated around the table. Crowley may not be all that well liked but he was still a King. These guests didn’t want to see what would happen if Crowley’s terrifying daughter Amara had to take over the kingdom. “Dean,” Cas chastened quietly when he saw Dean grabbing a large breadstick off of a terrified tree nymphs plate and munching on it as he sauntered down the table toward Castiel. 

“Oh, yeah, you better listen to him, he’ll do it,” Dean warned around a mouthful of bread. 

Castiel rolled his eyes but felt better when Dean hopped off the table to return to Castiel’s side. He was still eating that gigantic breadstick like a troll. 

“Here’s what’s going to happen!” Castiel shouted. “We’re going to leave, and  _ no one _ will follow us. If I see  _ any _ one follow us, I slit your King’s throat. If we are left alone, I’ll leave the King on his front stoop, unharmed.” 

No one made any motion to move as Castiel and Dean started to back slowly towards the door. They could still hear Abaddon laughing as they pushed out of the door and started quickly down the long stone corridor. 

“You idiots! You’ll never get away with this. I will spend every day of my life hunting you down if I have to. I am going to  _ kill  _ you.” Crowley threatened hoarsely, red faced with fury as he squirmed in Castiel’s grip.

Castiel twisted Crowley around to shove him back against the hard stone wall, knife pressing a little tighter to his throat so it drew a thin red line. “No you will not. If you come for Dean, or me, ever again,  _ I  _ will kill  _ you _ .” He looked over Crowley with calculating eyes, cruel smile spreading across his face. “Or maybe I’ll just disfigure you. Leave you a stump of a person to rule over your kingdom. Even more hideous than you already are.” 

Crowley bared his teeth, looking furious for a moment before a strange, terrifying calm spread over him, and he smirked. “I have my ways. Maybe I won’t come after you at all. Just the pretty little prince here. You do seem  _ awfully _ protective over him. How would it feel if you knew he was servicing me and not you?” 

Castiel grit his teeth and grabbed a fistful of Crowley’s robes to shove him roughly back against the wall, skull rattling against the stone. 

“Listen here, buddy,” Dean spit out, brandishing his breadstick at Crowley like it was a weapon. “You keep makin’ promises and we’ll just cut off your dick right now.”

The King blanched a little. 

“Oh, and you spread the word to all your creepy, rapey, king friends, if they try to get me to ‘service’ ‘em.” Dean tore a large chunk off the breadstick with his teeth. “That’s gonna be their dick.” Dean told a horrified looking Crowley around a mouthful of bread. 

“Just go!” Crowley cried out exasperatedly. “Just get the hell out of my castle!” 

  
And that was exactly what they did, leaving Crowley gagged and tied with his own drapes on his front stoop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's been so long!! I was on vacation and then just had a bit of writers block for a week. But I'm back! Which means hopefully speedy updates again. :)


	7. Chapter 7

So maybe the elf wasn’t so bad. He was still a smug, know-it-all, but… well he was other things too. Like brave, and pretty damn smart. It took a lot of courage to take a King hostage in his own castle. And maybe a little bit of desperation.

And something about the elf put him at ease. Which he  _ knew _ was stupid. He should  _ not _ trust some forest creature he had just met. His father would kill him if he knew how his quest was going, and who was helping him. But Dean couldn’t help it, it may be the dumbest thing he’s ever done, but for some reason he trusted the elf. 

Dean tapped his boots on the rock he was perched on, looking out over the lazy river chugging along below him and snickering a bit when he saw the elf let yet  _ another _ fish slip through his fingers. So maybe the elf wasn’t great at everything. The thought made him smirk a little as Cas was looking more and more frustrated. 

Dean decided to give the guy a break and climbed down from the boulder he was perched on, kicking off his boots and rolling up the hem of his pants before wading out into the river with the elf. 

“Stop huffing, you’re scaring all the fish away,” Dean chided, standing beside the elf and looking down into the clear water. He heard Cas exhale frustratedly and Dean shot him a warning look. 

The elf ran wet hands through his hair, making it stick up in odd ways. “I haven’t done this in a very long time. I didn’t remember it being so difficult.” 

“Yeah, I can see that. So how about for once you just watch and learn?” Dean grinned a little, searching the elf’s face. Castiel eventually conceded with an eye roll that he used his entire head for and a crossing of the arms. He nodded begrudgingly although he still looked like he very much doubted Dean’s fish catching ability. 

Dean knew how to catch fish, he’d done it enough with his brother enough for it to become a kind of second nature to him. He watched the fish move around him, the longer he remained still the closer they’d dare to come. He waited, and waited a little longer for just the right moment before diving his hand into water and coming up with a large fish, clamped tight between his fingers. He snapped it’s neck immediately. 

“Sorry,” He quietly told the dead fish in his hand. He didn’t like killing things. Even if he had to. He turned to find the elf watching him strangely. “So, you think you can do that?” 

“Yes,” the elf answered simply, looking away from Dean and down into the water. Just a short while later he plucked a fish out of the water, snapping it’s neck swiftly and showing it to Dean with almost childlike pride.

Dean laughed a little, finding the elf’s wide grin infectious. “Good job, Tarzan, come on.” He waded back towards the shore, hearing the elf splashing through the river in his effort to catch up. 

“My name is Castiel,” Cas told him very seriously, eyes narrowed a bit like he was concerned for Dean.

This just made Dean laugh again. He tried to explain to Castiel while they gutted and cleaned the fish that Tarzan was just a character in a story. He wasn’t sure that the elf completely got it. 

“So why does a prince know how to catch, clean, and gut fish?” Castiel asked, ripping off a piece of said fish with his teeth. 

Dean opted to stare at his dirt covered boots instead of facing Cas. Sometimes that elf’s stare was just too much. He let out a long breath before answering, shutting his eyes and just feeling the sun warm his skin. “Me and my brother used to run away all the time when we were younger. It was fun, you know, no one in the forests we’d run off to to tell us what to do or how to dress or how to act. We’d always be found after a few days but, we learned a few things.”

Castiel seemed deep in thought, chewing on his fish with a contemplative expression. “I still run away sometimes. It always seems that you’ll be free if you can just get far enough away, doesn’t it?”

Dean nodded, looking curiously at the elf. He didn’t have the first clue about what life was like for elves. “What were you running away from, Cas?”

It was the elf’s turn to avert his gaze then, boring those alien blue eyes into his bare feet, toes curling over the boulder they were perched atop. “I’m just not a very good elf.”

Dean decided not to push the subject anymore, leaving it at, “Well, you seem like a pretty good person to me.”

Cas raised his eyes curiously to Dean’s then, searching for something though Dean couldn’t tell you what. A silence fell over them. They stared for a beat too long, the air around them shifting to something else and Dean coughed, looking away and rubbing at the back of his neck. 

“So, what was with all that mate stuff back at Crowley’s?” Dean asked, looking for a subject change. “Do all forest creatures have ‘mates’?” Then a moment later. “Do you have a mate?” 

“No,” Cas answered quickly. “Not all forest creatures mate, to my knowledge. Elves do. Though it’s more of a political thing really than about actually caring for one another. Elves aren’t typically very… well, we’re cold. We probably wouldn’t even breed if we didn’t have heats.” Cas tossed the remains of his fish back into the river, leaning back on his palms and spreading his legs out in front of him. “Why do you ask? Don’t humans take mates?”

Dean shook his head a little belatedly, momentarily distracted by the way the sunlight reflected in the elf’s eyes, making them look almost green. “We get married. It’s more of a political thing for us too, though. Kings and Queens just marry their kids off to the highest bidder most of the time.”

“What about you? Are you… married?” Castiel said the word slowly, like he was testing it out on his tongue. 

“Well, I guess I will be after this quest.”

“Oh.” Castiel looked a bit like the breath had been punched out of him. “Oh, that’s… the princess you’re rescuing.” He nodded a little too quickly, swallowing. “That makes sense.”

“No it doesn’t. None of it makes sense, it’s just stupid fucking tradition. It’s not like I wanna get married.”

He shouldn’t be saying any of this to Cas. It wasn’t his business. It wasn’t anybody’s business that Prince Dean was a shitty excuse for a prince. Princes married princesses and that was just that. His father had made that pretty clear. Princes didn’t get to feel any sort of way about the cute court jester, or the bar maiden, or anyone that didn’t bleed blue. And they  _ certainly _ didn’t get to feel any sort of way about someone that wasn’t even human. 

“Why are you then?” Cas asked quietly. 

Dean laughed humorlessly. “It’s not like I really have a choice here, Cas. I’m not a kid anymore, I can’t just run away.” 

Another silence fell over them as they watched sun climb higher in the sky. The trees around them hadn’t changed yet today, looking to all the world to be simple pine trees, although yesterday they had been oaks with crimson red trunks. 

“So how long do you think it’ll take us to get to the tower anyway?”

“A week if we aren’t stopped or slowed down by anything else. But with your luck I’d venture to say it will take us at least two.”

Dean rolled his eyes, feeling some of the tension lift from the air with what he now realized was the elf teasing him. He bumped his shoulder into Cas’s, meaning it to be playful, like the elf’s tease. But Castiel apparently didn’t understand playful shoving. His brows furrowed as he shoved Dean back roughly, sending him toppling off the small boulder they were perched on. 

“Ow!” Dean complained loudly as he landed on thousands of small, jagged, rocks that bit into his skin. “What the hell, Cas?!”

“You shoved me first!” The elf shouted, standing on top of the boulder with his hands on his hips. “Don’t shove me.”

“I was just playing, Cas!” Dean shouted back up at the confused elf. “I wasn’t actually trying to hurt you!”

The elves brows pinched together even harder. “Then what was the point of shoving me?” 

Dean felt his cheeks heat as he threw his arms out to the side. “I don’t know! It’s just something people do!” 

Cas hopped down from the boulder, not even wincing as his bare feet hit the rocks. He still looked far too serious and confused. He reached out tentatively, squinting as he shoved Dean’s shoulder with much less force than previously. “I still don’t see the point.”

Dean rolled his eyes, turning away from the elf to climb back up the boulder, it was nice up there, on their sun warmed rock. His shoulder was grabbed before he could start climbing though. 

“You’re bleeding.”

“What? Where?” Dean looked over himself and yeah, he was kinda dirty and scraped up but he didn’t see too much blood. 

“Your back.” The elf looked apologetic, turning Dean around slowly again. 

His back did kinda hurt, but then again he had just landed on a bunch of rocks so. “It doesn’t really hurt, Cas, it’s fine.” 

“Well, I can’t see if it’s actually fine. Take off this… horrible white thing.”

“My shirt?” Dean asked, grinning a bit. 

“If that’s what you want to call it.” 

Dean hesitated for a moment before stripping his shirt off. It really was pretty disgusting, maybe he should rinse it off in the river. He cursed his heart for pounding harder in his chest the moment he felt the elf had his hands on him. Then he winced when he felt Cas pull at some tender skin. 

“It isn’t very deep but it is bleeding quite a bit. Come over by the river and I’ll help you clean and bandage it.” 

Dean followed Cas to the edge of the river, unable to help smirking a little when Cas’s eyes roamed over his bare chest and then the elf actually  _ blushed _ . Honest to god, pink up to the tips of those pointy little ears before he averted his eyes. 

“You should sit down,” the elf said, coughing a little when his voice came out a little rough. Dean sat on the bank of the river, the dry grass crunching beneath him as he folded his arms over top of his bent knees. Cas settled behind him, fingertips running over the edge of his wound again. “Give me your shirt.” 

He extended a tanned and calloused hand to Dean. Dean handed Cas the shirt with a warning of, “Don’t ruin it, I still need that.”

“I won’t ruin it more than it already is.” The elf dunked a corner of the shirt in the river, chanting something in a language Dean didn’t recognize before resettling in his spot behind Dean.

“What was that?”

“A spell, it’s to clean this shirt so that it won’t infect your wound when I clean it,” Cas explained. The damp corner of the shirt swiped over Dean’s cut then, it stung a little but Cas’s movements were surprisingly gentle. 

“I’m sorry for shoving you in a not playful way,” Cas apologized quietly. 

Dean smiled, holding back a laugh. “It’s fine, Cas, you didn’t understand. But for future reference, maybe just try using your words before shoving me off a boulder.”  

“I will.” 

Cas’s response was so serious it sounded like a vow, and Dean couldn’t help but laugh, letting his head fall into his hands as he shook with it. The elf scrambled around to kneel in front of him then, head cocked to the side as he watched Dean. 

“What’s so funny?” Even as he asked his mouth pulled up at the corners, mirroring Dean’s smile without really meaning to. 

Dean shook his head, letting out a long breath as he settled. “Nothin’, you’re just so serious sometimes.”

Cas’s eyes flicked around his face, soft smile still gracing his lips. “I like the sound of your laugh,” the elf said abruptly. He leaned a little closer to Dean, reaching out until his fingertips reached the center of Dean’s chest. “It rumbles through your chest, it comes straight from your heart.” His palm flattened out over Dean’s now erratically thumping heart. The top of the elf’s cheeks flushed a bit but his eyes were steady as they bore into Dean. That stare made Dean feel completely exposed, naked. “Sorry.” Castiel removed his hand quickly, moving behind Dean again. 

He finished cleaning Dean’s cut in silence. Dean didn’t try to break it. The blush wasn’t fading from his own cheeks and his heart didn’t calm until Cas handed him back his shirt and told him he was going to go sit on top of the boulder and think about which path would be best to take tomorrow. 

Dean remained on the riverbank, letting the sun warm his shoulders, probably giving him a few more freckles. His skin didn’t tan like the elf's, instead he just got spots.

He dug a small hole in the dry grass with the heel of his boot. He couldn’t stop feeling the ghost of Cas’s palm over his chest. 

  
He was fucked. Royally  _fucked._


	8. Chapter 8

The rough bark didn’t sting Castiel’s palms anymore as he climbed. His fingers were thick with calluses he’d earned after years and years of running. Of hiding in the trees when he should’ve been doing something else. When he should’ve been a good elf like Uriel and Michael.

Well he was done trying to be a good elf. He supposed he was officially rebelling, leaving everything behind. And for what? For a human he barely knew. 

He reached the top of the tree, peering out across the forest top. He spotted what he was searching for in just a few moments, the peak of the tower, grey and intimidating, even at a great distance. His heart ached at the sight. Castiel didn’t want to reach the tower. 

But it didn’t matter what Castiel wanted. 

“Do you see it, Cas?” Dean shouted from down below. 

“Yes,” he called back. “I see it, I know which we way we need to go!” 

“Alright, well, get back down here already then!”

Castiel could feel the corner of his lips pull up ever so slightly despite the ache in his chest. He made his way quickly back down to the human, dropping to the leaf covered forest floor. The human’s freckles had grown slightly darker with the time he had spent in the sun, they stood out against the bridge of his nose. Castiel’s eyes flicked over Dean’s face as he wondered how long it might take to count them. 

Dean swallowed, fidgeting slightly. “Uh, Cas?”

“Yes?” Castiel’s head tilted as he tried to analyze the human’s expression, meeting Dean’s eyes with a slight squint. 

“You don’t really get the whole, personal space thing, do you?” Dean gestured at the few inches of space between them. Castiel’s eyes narrowed further as he tried to make out the humans meaning. “Uh, never mind. Just- which way?” 

The confusion in Castiel’s expression cleared, small smile replacing it as he swiveled around with a pointed finger. “That way.”

He started walking, Dean falling into step beside him. 

The human looked all around as he walked, stumbling often because he was looking up instead of watching where he was placing his feet. He seemed to be in awe of the forest. Castiel found  _ himself _ close to stumbling a few times, his eyes having wandered over to watch Dean’s expression. Once he’d gotten past his initial annoyance of the human, he found him rather fascinating. 

He looked all around himself then, trying to see the forest through the human’s eyes. The trees had shed their tangerine leaves, the bark on their trunks reminded Castiel of the ocean. He had only seen it once but it was quite a sight. The bark of these trees were a deep blue, pieces of the wood splintered off white, almost frothy. It reminded Castiel of the roaring waves. 

There was no roar in the forest though. Just the sound of Dean trampling over the fallen leaves. No cool breeze whipping through his hair, the air instead felt heavy, moving slowly and lazily around them. Sunlight slipped through the tangled web of branches overhead, lighting up pieces of the human’s hair as though it were gold. 

“So, when this is all over and everything, is there anything I can do for you? You know, to thank you.” Dean’s expression was earnest, even if his words were a little stilted and awkward. 

“Like… a reward?” 

Dean shrugged, ducking under a low hanging branch. “Yeah, like a reward.” 

“Hm.” Castiel looked up as he thought, enjoying the feeling of the dirt and leaves underfoot. Gabriel was the only one who’d ever told him stories. Stories about quests, heroes, daring rescues and escapes. The rewards had always been the same thing, a kiss from the creature that had been rescued. Gabriel had never quite explained what a kiss was, only that it was wonderful. Castiel shifted his gaze from the sky to Dean’s glittering green eyes. “There is something I would like.”

“Okay, well what is it?” 

“A kiss,” Castiel told him simply. 

Dean tripped over his own feet with a panicked expression, and he would have hit his head on a rock if Castiel hadn’t caught him, calmly righting him. The human coughed, avoiding Castiel’s eyes and brushing his fingers over his shirt. Castiel didn’t see the point of even wearing that filthy rag anymore. He had a certain level of loathing for the thing. 

The elf reached out tentatively, catching Dean’s elbow. “Are you alright?” 

Dean’s eyes finally raised, meeting his again, and something in Castiel’s chest eased. “Yeah, I’m good. Just uh, caught me a little by surprise there.” He scratched at the back of his head, inadvertently knocking Castiel’s hand off. “So, a kiss? That’s all you want?” 

“Yes,” Castiel answered certainly. 

“From uh, from who?” Something in the human’s expression seemed worried, like he was holding his breath as he waited for Castiel to answer. 

“From you.” Castiel answered like that was the most obvious thing in the world. The human was the one Castiel had rescued, who else would he get his kiss from? Dean’s shoulders relaxed with his answer and his hand fell back down to his side. 

“Oh.” His expression eased with a grin. “Yeah, no problem. I mean, that’s hardly anything for all you’ve done for me.” Dean’s eyes roamed down to Castiel’s lips, sucking his bottom lip into his mouth in a gesture that seemed to be subconscious. “So, you want that now or later?” 

Castiel felt somewhat nervous now for some reason, his palms had begun to sweat a little. “Now,” he answered quickly, finding his eyes glued to the lips the human kept biting at. 

The amusement that had been glittering in Dean’s eyes faded quickly to something that looked a lot closer to what Cas was feeling. He took a small half step towards Castiel, closing the remaining distance between them so their chests brushed with every breath they took. Castiel’s breathing had picked up, his heart pounding hard in his chest. Dean’s gaze roamed around Castiel’s face, lips pulling up at the corner. 

The human cupped his chin, fingers sprawling out across his jaw and thumb edging towards his bottom lip. 

“You don’t have to look so nervous. I’m not gonna hurt you, Cas,” Dean murmured, his voice was softer than Castiel had ever heard it and it soothed the nerves that had been eating at Castiel’s stomach. 

“I know,” Castiel’s response was just as quiet, he sounded breathless for some reason. 

Dean leaned in impossibly closer, nose brushing along the side of Castiel’s. His warm breath made Castiel’s lips tingle as it ghosted across them. Castiel found his eyes drooping even though adrenaline coursed through his veins like wildfire. Then Dean did the strangest thing, he pressed his lips into Castiel’s. He didn’t understand how something so soft and warm could feel like a shock. 

Then his lips started to  _ move, _ parting Castiel’s own gently. Castiel found himself responding in kind, moving in coordination with Dean after a short moment of panicked stillness. He decided that kisses were indeed wonderful. They might in fact be the most wonderful thing in the world. 

He let out a small sound of pleasure when he felt Dean’s tongue against his bottom lip. Dean pulled away then with a small jerk, stumbling back a step and breathing a little heavily. A hot blush painted his cheeks, and his pupil’s had swallowed most of the green in his eyes. Castiel imagined he looked very similar. 

Castiel reached up to touch his still tingling lips. “Thank you,” he told Dean sincerely. “That was wonderful.” 

The human’s blush darkened at his words and he looked down at his boots. “Um, you’re welcome.” Dean started back down the path, trampling leaves and twigs with purpose. Castiel caught up with him quickly, eyes unfocused as he continued to think about the kiss. It was a very nice kiss.

“You have very soft lips,” Castiel told Dean earnestly, not bothering to take his eyes off the path in front of him. 

“Cas,” Dean chastened, blushing again. “Don’t tell me I have soft lips.”

“Why not? It’s the truth.” 

“‘Cause- you just- friends aren’t supposed to know if each other’s lips are soft or not!” Dean exclaimed, throwing his arms up. 

Castiel tilted his head, unable to keep the small smile off his face. “You consider us friends?”

Dean returned his gaze to the path in front of him with a huff, looking like he wanted to just crawl under a pile of leaves to hide his embarrassment. “You’re still kind of a dick, but… I mean, yeah, you’re my friend.” He shrugged noncommittally, though his cheeks burned.  

Castiel nodded, his smile widening. “I consider you a friend as well, Dean.”

The rest of the day was spent mostly in silence. Occasionally Dean would ask a question, usually regarding what types of creatures lived in this part of the forest, or what the trees reminded Castiel of. He said that the trees reminded  _ him _ of Castiel’s eyes. Castiel stopped making remarks about Dean’s lips after a while. Though it did amuse him greatly to watch Dean’s cheeks flush without fail each time he did. 

It was strange, to have a friend. Castiel had family, he had a tribe, but he’d never had a friend. He’d always been alone really. 

But Dean wasn’t anything like the elves. He wasn’t cold, or stiff, or reserved. He was warm, and  _ loud, _ his thoughts written plain across his face. He didn’t make Castiel feel wrong, or broken. Castiel felt like he fit with Dean. And Dean never looked disappointed to see Castiel. He looked at Castiel in a way no one else ever had. The way he looked at Castiel made him feel like he might actually be seen for the first time in his existence. 

He dreaded the day that they found the tower. Because he wouldn’t have his friend anymore when they did. Castiel would be alone again, not even the familiarity of his tribe to comfort him. 

They settled in for the night at the base of a massive tree, the roots raised high around them to create a small hollow. Castiel leaned back against the trunk, gazing at the stars twinkling above his head. Dean was curled up about a foot away, already snoring softly. It was a nice sound, and for some reason it made Castiel smile. Watching over the human felt  _ right. _ It felt good to care for someone else.  

The human twitched, shivering slightly in the cool night air. He woke himself with a jolt, sitting up straight and looking around himself with a panic, stilling when he laid eyes on Castiel. 

Castiel’s brow furrowed and he leaned towards Dean. “Are you alright?” 

“Yeah,” Dean shook his head and waved a hand. “I’m good, just, didn’t know where I was for a second.” He shivered again. 

Castiel smirked a little. “It’s too bad you lost all your supplies to a troll. I’m sure you would have a blanket to warm you otherwise.” 

Dean just returned his smirk. “Guess I’ll just have to make do with the elf I found.”

Before Castiel had the chance to question what exactly that meant, Dean curled up against his legs, arm thrown across his legs and cheek smooshed into his thigh. Castiel was stiff for a moment, hands unsure in the air beside his head. After a moment he let himself relax, resting a hand tentatively on Dean’s back. “You’re very warm.”

The human huffed a laugh, eyes drooping shut. “Yeah, you keep telling me.” 

Castiel watched the human fondly as his breathing got heavier, evening out as he drifted off into slumber. He nuzzled closer to Castiel in his sleep, throwing his leg over Castiel’s as well. 

He was such a curious creature. 

Castiel wondered if the human was always this trusting, or if he just felt safe with the elf. He hoped it was the latter. Because even if it was idiotic,  _ Castiel _ trusted  _ Dean.  _ He should be making the human sleep ten feet away and keeping one eye on him at all times. But here he was, his own eyes heavy with sleep as the human slept soundly, curled up in his lap. 

Dean had had chances to hurt him and steal from him, or simply let him die. He hadn’t taken any of them and Castiel was inclined to believe that he wouldn’t. His human wouldn’t hurt him. 

Except for when he leaves Castiel alone again. That, he suspects, will hurt something awful. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapters might start to get a little longer as the adventure part of the story picks up again next chapter, don't hold me to that though. I'll try but no promises. :) Hope you enjoyed the update! I can't believe it was an entire week! I'll probably be posting again within the next few days, I've been itching to write a lot more for this story.


	9. Chapter 9

Dean should’ve known that it couldn’t just be a nice stroll in the forest forever. The peaceful nature their quest had taken on was far too nice to last. Dean just didn’t think it would end with some sort of frog man. 

The hideous creature was slimy and green, sludge dripping from the folds of it’s skin, it’s eyes pale and sallow. Burlap wrapped around his pudgy shoulders in a sad excuse for a robe.

They had been caught unaware at the edge of a large lake, debating (bickering) whether or not they should try to swim across, which would be  _ much _ quicker, or walk around the whole damn thing. They should’ve just leapt in and started swimming like Dean had said. But no, instead they were held frozen in place with some sort of frog man magic. Each second they stood still they sunk deeper and deeper in the mud, it was already up to Dean’s shins. He couldn’t believe he was gonna drown in mud because he couldn’t answer some stupid frog man’s fucking riddle. 

“Metatron,” Castiel growled furiously. “Release us  _ now!” _

“Do you know  _ everyone _ in this damn forest?” Dean exclaimed, wishing he could throw his arms up in the air. But he couldn’t. Because he was FROZEN IN PLACE WITH SOME SORT OF FROG MAN MAGIC!

“Most people,” Castiel responded, hard gaze unwavering from Metatron’s, who giggled. 

“Oh but this is just too much fun,” Frog man sing-songed, hideous mouth pulling up into a sinister grin. “I  _ never _ get any visitors. And now I have two!” He swiveled to look at Dean then. “Oh, and please stop referring to me as ‘frog man’ inside your head. I’m a  _ water goblin,  _ and I find the term frog man offensive.”

Dean groaned and rolled his eyes. “Since when could water goblins read minds?” 

“Oh I’m not just a regular water goblin,” He informed them, rocking on his heels with his excitement. “I’m the most powerful water goblin there is.”

Hm, so the thing sure did seem to be full of himself. Maybe Dean could try to flirt his way out of this one. The thought made him shudder and he had to try hard not gag. He grinned a little at Metatron. “A  _ very _ powerful water goblin. Handsome, too.” He winked at the goblin, hoping he might just take a liking to Dean and release him. 

“No he is not!” Castiel exclaimed suddenly, looking utterly bewildered and a little betrayed. “He is  _ hideous!”  _

Dean could throttle that elf. He really could. If he wasn’t held in place. With fucking WATER GOBLIN MAGIC!

“I do appreciate the flattery, but your little rouse won’t work.” He stage whispered conspiratorially to Cas, “This one’s kinda dull, huh? I mean I  _ just _ said I could read your minds.”

“He is a thousand times sharper than you will  _ ever _ be,” Cas bit back fiercely. 

Metatron just chuckled, taking a few steps back, his gaze roaming slowly over the both of them. “You two… you have some interesting thoughts. Castiel…” He tsked, wagging a finger in the elf’s direction. “So  _ angry.  _ Elves are supposed to be cool headed, are they not? Although, maybe you’re only so infuriated because I insulted your human. That is how you refer to him in your head, is it not?  _ Your _ human.”

A growl ripped out of Castiel’s throat and he struggled against their invisible bonds again. Dean on the other hand was struck dumb. Is that really how Castiel thought of him? As his? 

That was… Dean didn’t know what to think about that. He  _ felt _ warm all over about that. But he definitely did not  _ think _ anything about that. 

“And Dean, naive Prince Dean. You are just  _ terrified  _ aren’t you? You are  _ truly _ a deplorable excuse for a prince. I mean, you just can’t do anything right, can you? You can’t even rescue your princess right! Honestly, are you ever really gonna reach that tower? You don’t even  _ want  _ to!” Metatron cackled, clapping his hands together in delight. 

“What do you want?” Dean barked. He was over this creepy ass goblin digging through his brain. He tried to shrug off the water goblins remarks, but the truth stung.

“I  _ want _ you two to solve my riddle!” The goblin looked deranged, wide smile stretching his cheeks. “So, I’ll repeat it once more,  what is greater than God, more evil than the devil,  the poor have it, the rich need it, and if you eat it, you'll die?”

Fuck riddles. Fuck them right in their-

“Nothing.” Dean swiveled his head to the side abruptly to find Castiel looking triumphant. “Nothing, the answer is nothing. Now let us  _ go.” _

Metatron was struck silent with surprise for a moment, mouth hanging open as he watched Cas dumbly. Then he started to laugh. The goblin threw his head back, hands on his protruding belly as that horrible sound spilled out of him. “How about…” He finally returned his gaze to Castiel’s with a malicious smile. “How about I let  _ you _ go, since you solved my riddle. Your human however, will drown in the mud.”

Castiel’s eyes widened with panic, chest heaving as he struggled against his invisible restraints. “Release us  _ both  _ or I will kill you!” 

Metatron just shook his head. “Empty threats, Castiel, empty threats. You cannot kill me. Don’t feel too bad when you are unable to save your human, elf. Better the Prince die heroically on his quest than let him live and fail his kingdom.”

“Fuck you, frog man!” Dean shouted, fury coursing through his veins and curling his hands into white knuckled fists. “I will  _ not _ fail, and I will  _ not _ drown. And when I get out of this, and I will,  _ I _ am going to kill you.”

“We’ll see.” The water goblin retreated into the densely packed forest with an ominous laugh. 

Castiel fell forward suddenly, his palms smacking in the mud as he caught himself. He ripped his feet free from the mud he had been trapped in. Dean’s heart sunk as he found himself able to move again as well, but unable to pull his legs free of the mud that was now up to his thighs. 

“Dean!” The elf was in front of him then, eyes wild with panic. “Can you move?” 

“Yeah I can move but… I can’t get out, man.” 

“Well… I will help you.” The elf met his eyes with determination. “You are not going to drown. Give me your hands.” 

Dean knew he was done for, but he held his hands out for the elf anyway, letting him desperately try to pull Dean out of the mud that he was only sinking deeper into. Castiel tried wrapping his arms around Dean’s middle to pull then, but nothing worked. Castiel fell down to his knees in front of Dean, panting and covered in mud. His wide blue eyes were swimming with tears as he looked up at Dean. 

“Cas…” His heart pounded wildly in chest, a rapid staccato of denial that said, no, he was not going to die right here, he was going to live, he had to live. But deep in his bones he knew that he was going to die. No one was lucky enough to survive this many close encounters with the reaper. Not even Dean. 

Castiel shook his head rapidly. “No. Do not give up, I am not going to allow you to give up. You’re not going to die because of  _ Metatron.  _ I won’t let you.” The elf started digging then, clawing into the mud around Dean with desperate, frantic movements. Dean suddenly dropped a few inches all at once, the mud officially past his waist. 

He grabbed Castiel’s wrists, ducking his head to catch the elf’s eye. “Stop. Cas, you have to stop, you’re just making me sink quicker.” 

The elf swallowed, wet eyes meeting Dean’s. “You can’t die.” Castiel was trembling, his wrists shaking in Dean’s grip. 

Dean smiled weakly, dropping Cas’s wrists to squeeze his shoulder. “You’ll go on fine without me, Cas.” Who’d a thunk, Dean’s on his goddamn death bed and he’s the one comforting Cas. “Hey, do you think you could- I mean it’s kind of a lot to ask, but, could you give this to my brother Sam?” He lifted the small amulet from around his neck and handed it to the elf. 

The elf nodded solemnly, hanging it around his own neck for safekeeping. “I am sorry, Dean. I failed you.” A few tears spilled from Castiel’s eyes then, tracking through the mud on his cheeks. 

Dean smacked him on the side of the head. The elf’s brows knit together with confusion. “You didn’t fail me, you idiot. Don’t talk like that. You did everything you could.” 

“Are all your kind words usually spoken so angrily?” Cas asked quietly, rubbing the side of his head. The sight made him grin a little. 

“Usually,” he responded with a shrug. Dean eyes swept over Cas, possibly and probably for the last time. His usual carefree grin didn’t really fit on his face quite right, it felt heavy, but he tried for it anyway. “Hey, at least you won’t have to keep savin’ my annoying ass anymore.” 

“I don’t mind saving your annoying ass.” The elf was so sincere that it made tears sting the backs of his eyes as he huffed a small laugh. 

“Thanks, Cas.”

“You are welcome, Dean.” He reached out then, thumb running over Dean’s jaw. “You may be the only person in the world who really sees me. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate that.” 

The tears stinging Dean’s eyes spilled over then and he reached up to hold the hand that was cupping his jaw. “Cas… come ‘ere.” 

“I am here.”

A soft laugh escaped Dean as he grabbed the elf by the front of the shirt, tugging him in closer. “No, come  _ here.”  _

If he was gonna die he might as well relive the best kiss of his life in the last few moments he had. Castiel’s nose brushed the side of his as he came closer, his fingers curling over Dean’s jaw. Both of them were breathing raggedly, Dean looked over Cas’s face one last time, trying to memorize the details, the lines under his eyes and the glittering blue, the pink lips, flushed cheeks splattered with mud. Dean released Cas’s shirt to wind his fingers into that ridiculous hair, pulling him closer the smallest bit and feeling the elf’s lips against his. 

Dean didn’t bother trying to restrain himself this time, letting the desperation he was feeling out into the kiss. Castiel caught up after a moment, crashing into Dean with the force of a tidal wave and wrapping his free arm around Dean to hold him close. 

“Hey um… sorry to interrupt, but do you guys need help?” 

They broke apart abruptly to find a slender creature with pale blue skin and dark hair that he had to keep pushing out of his eyes. One eye was milky and white with blindness. His skin had a certain gleam to it, like it was wet, or glittering faintly. His attire was simple white cloth pants, no shoes or shirt to speak of. 

“I mean, if being bound magically is like, your ‘thing’, don’t let me stop you, just uh…” The creature rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Okay, um, I’ll just leave you to it. Sorry.”

He started to turn when Dean and Castiel shouted, “NO!” 

“We need your help!” Dean shouted after the creature, who looked a little spooked by their shouting. He tried to speak softer, even though a fresh wave of adrenaline coursed through him, singing with hope. “What’s your name?”

“Kevin,” the creature responded, eyes shifting between the two of them. “So, you want help getting out of that mud?” 

“Yes!” Dean and Cas answered in unison. “Please,” Dean tacked on. 

The creature approached slowly, sinking down to one knee beside Dean and pressing his palm into the mud. A golden light filled his eyes and spilled from the tips of his fingers, sinking into the ground below him and suddenly Dean wasn’t being pulled deeper into the earth by some invisible force. He dragged himself out of the mud with some help from Cas, giddy with relief once he was no longer sheathed in the dirt. 

A wide smile broke across his face, laughter falling off his tongue. He pulled the elf into a hug, holding on tightly once he got his arms around him. The elf was stiff beneath him for a minute before he melted against Dean, hands patting his back awkwardly. 

He pulled away from Cas, taking a small step back, smiling at the elf and slapping his shoulder. Cas returned his gaze with a warm one of his one, relief evident in his expression.

“So uh… glad you guys are good. Losing a mate is a horrible thing.”

Dean had almost forgotten that Kevin was still there. His cheeks heated with the creature’s words and when he recalled how Kevin had found them. “We’re not, uh, we’re not mates,” Dean told Kevin hurriedly, taking another small step back from the elf and letting his hand drop from his shoulder. 

“Oh.” Kevin’s eyes widened with surprise as he looked between the two of them. 

“Just friends,” Castiel added, blushing up to the tips of those pointy ears again as he avoided Dean’s eye.

Kevin nodded, looking as though he was holding back laughter. “Uh yeah, sure.” He turned to walk away again. 

“Wait!” Castiel called, taking a few steps after Kevin. “You’re a water nymph, aren’t you?” 

Kevin turned back towards them, nodding slightly, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Why?” 

“Well… we need to cross the lake. I’m sorry to ask so much of you, but is there anyway you could accompany us? Your presence will deter the worst of the creatures that live in this lake.” 

The water nymph sighed, hands on his hips as he thought. 

“And thank you,” Dean said quickly. “I mean, you totally saved my life.” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Kevin dismissed him with a wave of his hand as he looked out across the lake. “Fine, I’ll take you across. But I want something in return, I’m not just doing this outta the goodness of my heart.”

“Of course. What would you like?” Castiel asked. 

“You’re an elf, so, you can heal people, right?” 

Castiel nodded slowly. 

“Can you heal my eye?”

Castiel stepped closer to the water nymph, Dean following at his heels. “May I?” Asked Castiel, fingers stretched towards his face. Kevin nodded. Castiel pushed Kevin’s hair back so he could get a clear look at his blind eye. “I can heal you, but it will drain me, do you have a small boat to get us across the lake? I won’t be able to swim.” 

“Yeah, I got a canoe that washed up on shore about a year ago. We can use that.” An excited smile lit up his face. “So you can really heal it?” 

Castiel returned his smile with a soft one of his own. “Yes.” Castiel pressed two fingers to Kevin’s temple then, his eyes flooded with that pale blue light before the same spilled from his fingertips in wispy tendrils, sinking beneath the surface of Kevin’s skin and healing his eye. 

Kevin laughed, looking all around him with amazement. Dean crowded in closer behind Cas, waiting for the elf to drop. 

The elf swiveled on his heel to face Dean, eyes drooping. “I might need to lean on you for a moment.” Those were the last words the elf got out before collapsing into Dean’s waiting arms. He bent to grab the back of his Cas’s knees, laughing softly as he realized he was holding the elf the same way the prince holds his rescued princess on the cover of every corny storybook ever. If the elf was conscious he was sure he wouldn’t appreciate being compared to a damsel in distress. 

“So, where’s this boat at?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I express my hatred for Metatron by making him a water goblin in my story, water goblin, or just goblin in general is pretty much the most disgusting creature I could think of. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)


	10. Chapter 10

Castiel came to cramped and folded at an odd angle on the floor of a canoe. His eyes snapped open and he sat up immediately, apparently startling Dean.

“Goddamnit!" The human panted, hand over his heart. "Who the hell wakes up like that?!"

“How else would I wake up?” Castiel replied with a small squint and a tilt of his head.

 _“Not_ by sitting bolt upright and snapping your fuckin’ eyes open like you’ve been shocked.”

Castiel only narrowed his eyes further and tilted his head farther.

The human waved him off with a huff and a roll of his eyes. “Never mind.” He continued to row in sync with the water nymph- Kevin.

The elf swiveled his head around, taking in their surroundings. The lake they glided across was a dark cyan, strangely flat except for the small ripples that trailed behind the canoe like an echo, rolling across the water like it was an unbreakable skin. Mist curled around the edges of the lake so it was impossible to see the shore. Night had fallen, the yellow moon bathed everything in its eery glow from where it hung crooked in the sky.

Castiel had never liked that yellow moon. It was a warning, a light that didn’t reach the darkest corners of the forest, where the wildest beasts dwelled and hunted, brave in the dim light.

Fear dripped cold behind Castiel’s sternum. Something about the stillness of the lake felt wrong. He tried to tell himself it was just because of the time he had almost drowned as a child, that that was the reason the water put him on edge. But he couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible lurked just below the surface. Out of sight and patiently waiting.

“What’s got _you_ spooked?” Dean asked, giving him a strange look.

Castiel barely stopped himself from flinching at the abruptness of the human’s question, voice twice as loud as usual as it boomed through the stifling silence.  

“It’s nothing. I just don’t like being on the water.” Castiel tried to school his features, something he had never been great at. Most elves never needed to learn to control their expressions, they didn’t usually have many.

“Wanna row? Give you something to do to take your mind off it.”

Castiel nodded stiffly, the boat wobbling slightly as he switched spots with the human. From his new vantage point he could see the water nymph clearly, his dark eyes clouded over, eyebrows pulled low as he looked out across the lake. He locked eyes with Kevin and something of an understanding passed between them. The nymph could sense it as well, something wasn’t right out on the water.

Dean remained oblivious, whistling a tune that felt harshly at odds with their dismal setting. He even leaned back against the side of the canoe, arms folded behind his head and legs kicked out over the edge.

“Dean, I think it would be best if you kept your arms and legs inside the boat,” Castiel told him, careful to keep his voice even so as not to tip the human off.

“Why? ‘s not like I’m gonna get my feet chomped off by a _mermaid._ ‘Sides, there’s nothin’ out here, Cas. Just look around, water’s as still as a mirror.”

“Will you please just keep your feet and head inside the canoe?” A hint of desperation threaded into Castiel’s voice, a plea. He’d already almost lost the human once today, and it had been more horrible than he cared to admit. He never wanted to go through that again. He wasn’t about to take any chances with the human’s life. Castiel… _cared_ for the human.

He sighed internally, wondering how it was possible that he came to be an elf at all.

Something changed in the human’s expression. The humor slid away, eyebrows pulling together slightly. He nodded, just barely, and sat up, folding his legs in front of himself and keeping his hands on his knees.   

“So uh…” Dean drummed his fingers on his kneecaps, obviously uncomfortable with silence, or being still. “Do you live in the water?”

Kevin’s expression was distant, mind elsewhere as his eyes continued to roam across the lake. “Sometimes,” He replied, voice so soft it was almost inaudible.

“Do you live with other water nymphs?”

Kevin just shook his head, eyes now squinted slightly as he peered at the mist around the edges of the lake.

“Cool, cool,” Dean nodded absently before blowing out a huge puff of air. “God this is boring.” He swiveled his head towards Castiel then, hopeful grin lifting the corners of plush lips. “Wanna play I Spy?”

Castiel didn’t respond, narrowing his eyes slightly in confusion. He didn’t know what game the human was referring to.

“All you do is look around and say ‘I spy something blue’, or somethin’ along those lines, and the other people have to guess what you’re lookin’ at,” Dean explained.

Castiel nodded in understanding. “Alright, I think I understand.” He looked all around him, trying to put his unease aside for the moment. There really weren’t a lot of things to ‘spy’. The only thing surrounding them was water, and mist. His gaze fell back to the other two passengers in the boat, landing on the small amulet that Dean must’ve taken back while he had been unconscious. “I spy something gold.”

Dean lifted the necklace up with a flat look. “Word of advice, don’t stare at the thing you spy.”

“Don’t you _want_ the person you’re playing with to guess what you're looking at?”

The human’s face scrunched up. “No. _You_ want to win.”

“But then you’d be guessing forever.”

“Cas-”

“Shh!” Kevin silenced them abruptly.

“What is it?” Castiel asked.

“Nothing. I just can’t stand listening to you two bicker.” The barest hint of a smile ghosted across the water nymph’s face. His gaze returned to the stars above and he shook his head slightly. “Me and my girlfriend used to bicker like that.”

“Used to?” Dean asked.

A shadow passed over the nymph’s face and he kept his suddenly shiny eyes firmly fixed on the sky above. “Yeah… Crowley um…”

“Say no more,” Castiel said, catching the nymph’s eye. “We’ve all had run ins with the so-called King.”

“Cas kicked his ass in his own castle, if that makes you feel any better,” Dean informed him with a an empathetic smile, his own eyes slightly heavier. Castiel thought he recognized the expression of someone who’d lost a person dear to them.

The water nymph barked out a laugh, looking surprised to hear the sound coming from him. “You did?”

Castiel shrugged. “He tried to sell me and Dean.”

“So Cas killed his henchman and took him hostage at his dinner party.” Dean smiled wide at the memory, laughter shaking his shoulders.

“We left him tied like a pig on his front porch.” Castiel smiled a little shyly, more in response to Dean’s than because the memory actually amused him.

Kevin erupted into peals of laughter, lifting his oars out of the water for a minute as he folded over. “That’s the greatest thing I’ve heard in a long time.”

They were so caught up in the retelling of their adventure in Crowley’s castle (Dean may have exaggerated a few of the details for the sake of storytelling) that they didn’t notice the hand creeping up over the side of the canoe until it was followed by a head.

A beautiful woman with dark hair and olive skin leaned up against the boat with a dreamy expression, eyes fixed on Dean.

Dean yelped when he finally saw her, scrambling back against the opposite side of the canoe.

Castiel’s hand twitched towards his dagger but Kevin stopped him with a wide eyed warning look, mouthing the words, ‘usually friendly.’ The key word seemed to be ‘usually’. Castiel didn’t like the way this woman, or more likely, mermaid, was eyeing Dean. It didn’t come across very _friendly_ to him.

“You have the most wonderful laugh,” She cooed in a silken voice. “I usually don’t much care for humans. But _you_ …” She trailed off, stretching a delicate hand towards Dean, fingertips finding his knee.

Dean laughed a little, most of the fear leaving his expression as he returned her flirtatious smile.

Castiel’s urge to stab her in the face grew exponentially.

Kevin’s eyes were bouncing between the three of them nervously.

“You’re very handsome for a human,” she purred, fingertips moving a little past his knee.

“Yeah well, you’re not too bad yourself.”

Anger churned hot behind Castiel’s ribs and a flash of hurt simmered somewhere in his gut. ‘Handsome for a _human’._ Dean was beautiful for _any_ creature. Certainly more beautiful than this seawitch.

Her hand continued to creep higher and Castiel’s patience reached it’s breaking point. He dragged his oar just a _little_ higher out of the water than was strictly necessary, bringing it back down with a satisfying _thwack_ against the mermaids face, knocking her off the boat and back into the water.

“Dude! What the hell? She wasn’t hurting anyone!” Dean exclaimed, glancing back into the water with a slightly pouty expression.

“She was clinging to the boat like a barnacle,” Cas snapped out, bitterness in the edges of his voice. “It was slowing us down. You do have a tower to get to, don’t you?”

Dean’s expression shifted from pouty to hurt before he closed off completely. He leaned back against the side of the canoe, arms folded across his chest and expression stiff. “Yup. Definitely have a tower to get to. The sooner the better.” He smiled bitterly at the elf and another wave of anger surged up inside him. 

“I’m sure your princess wouldn’t appreciate you flirting with any creature that happens to smile at you the right way.” He knew bringing up the princess and the tower was a low blow, especially when Dean had confided that he didn't even want to marry the princess, that he was doing it because he felt he had to. And Castiel wished he hadn’t said it as soon as he saw the hurt flicker across the human’s face. But... well he was angry and hurt too!

More angry with himself than Dean though. He didn’t have any right to care one way another who Dean flirted with. He did anyway. And it _infuriated_ him. He wished more than he ever had that he could simply be impassive like his brothers and sisters. This whole caring thing was awful.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the three of them, broken by a shrieking wail that had all of them grimacing and covering their ears.

The mermaid clawed her way up the side of their craft again, eyes glowing yellow, her previously soft smile had transformed into a seething baring of teeth that showed off her sharp canines.

 _“You_ don’t get to deny _me!”_ She shrieked at Dean, her voice taking on a supernatural quality, as if it came from all around them, amplified a hundred times over. “If I want you then you’re _mine!”_

She lunged at Dean and Castiel grabbed two fistfuls of her luxurious hair, yanking her violently off course. She thrashed on top of him, clawing at him and leaving a bloody gash across his cheek. “He does not belong to _you,”_ the elf growled through bared teeth.

With a strange pang in his chest he realized that Dean was not  _his_ either. 

A strong arm wrapped around her neck, ripping her off of Castiel. The human’s long knife was held at her stomach, keeping her still. “Listen, I don’t want to kill you, but if you can’t learn the difference between a little harmless flirting and wedding vows, I might have to.”

Another shriek tore out of her throat and Dean winced. Her scaly tail flapped furiously but Dean just tightened his hold.

“Last chance,” He told her calmly. “You want to swim away back to your fish friends or you wanna be shish-kebabed?”

She changed her tactic then, going limp in Dean’s hold and turning wide eyes on him, batting her eyelashes softly. “I’m sorry, I just lost my temper a little. You can forgive me for getting a little heated when a filthy forest creature tried to keep me from something I want, can’t you? I can forgive you for letting the elf knock me off the boat, darling. Let’s just put this all behind us.”

“Lady, you got the same options as before. You gonna go peacefully or what?”

“If I must go…” The coy expression slipped off her face immediately, replaced by rage. “THEN I AM TAKING YOU WITH ME!” Her voice amplified again, sending ripples across the water with the sheer volume.

She used the distraction to knock the long knife out of Dean’s hands, grabbing a hold of him and trying to pull him in the water with her.

Castiel tore his dagger from his belt, grabbing a hold of her tail and slicing the end of her fin clean off. Her horrible shriek of pain rattled Castiel’s teeth but he took a firm hold of her tail, Dean taking her arms as they threw her back into the water, the shriek thankfully silenced as soon as she was beneath the rippling lake.

Dean and Castiel both sat back down heavily in the canoe. The human turned an annoyed look on the water nymph, who had his knees drawn up to his chest, eyes frozen wide and hands still clapped firmly over his ears.

“Thanks for all the help.” Despite the kind words, the bitterness in his voice made Castiel think that the human actually meant the opposite.

“I don’t _fight,”_ Kevin bit back angrily. “I’m a _peaceful_ creature.”

Dean rolled his eyes, the movement returned his gaze to the elf and he faltered for a moment. He shook off whatever internal battle he had been having, schooling his features into something almost expressionless except for the slight furrow in his brows.

“You’re bleeding.” The human motioned to his own cheek, eyeing Castiel’s.

Castiel picked up his oars once more, feeling strangely empty. “It’ll heal.”

“Cas-”

“It’ll heal,” Castiel repeated sternly, cutting off whatever protest Dean had been about to make.

Whatever strange feelings he had started to have for the human, they had to stop. Dean was not his. He already belonged to someone else, and they _both_ knew that. It was foolish to pretend that it was any other way.

Castiel felt resolved to keep his delusional feelings in check. He wouldn't let them get away from him again. He would get the prince to his princess, and then he would... well he would figure it out. With his new resolve, the emptiness behind his ribcage didn’t really seem so strange anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :( Me thinks the elf needs a hug.


	11. Chapter 11

It was still nightfall when they pulled onto the bank of the shore. Castiel hadn’t said a word in hours, expression completely closed off as he rowed. Dean had no idea what he was supposed to do. He didn’t even know what was wrong. 

The mist was still heavy around them on this side of the lake. The treeline was thick with grey barked willows, long, pale yellow branches moving gently like a breeze ran through them, although Dean couldn’t feel one. No matter how hard he squinted he couldn’t see anything further than a few feet past the tree line, just deep black beyond that. 

It had the hair on the back of Dean’s neck rising. 

They thanked the water nymph once more for everything he had done for them. He just nodded. 

They were about to carry on, parting ways with the water nymph and making their way into this new part of the forest, but Kevin stopped Dean with a hand on his shoulder. 

“Can I talk to you for a moment? Alone,” He added, shooting Cas a look. 

The elf seemed wary, but Dean waved him ahead. “I’ll meet up with you in a minute.” 

Castiel didn’t protest, turning away from them and disappearing inside the forest. The prolonged silence and lack of any sort of response from the elf was really starting to get to Dean. 

“Listen…” Kevin started, looking uncomfortable and annoyed as his eyes searched the air around Dean’s head. He finally locked slightly narrowed eyes on Dean. “You do know he likes you, right?” 

Dean tried to fight his blush as he rubbed at the back of his neck. “Yeah… I’m not so sure about that.”

Kevin huffed a sigh and rolled his eyes. “He’s pissed at you because you hurt his feelings.” The water nymph looked like he really wished he wasn’t having this conversation. 

“How the hell did I hurt his feelings? I didn’t  _ do  _ anything!” Dean exclaimed, throwing his arms out and feeling  _ immensely _ frustrated.    


“He  _ cares _ about you. Like, a  _ lot.  _ And you went off and flirted with some mermaid right in front of his face! That’s kind of a dick move, dude.” The water nymph looked annoyed again, slick blue arms folded over his chest as he blew the hair out of his eyes. 

Dean opened his mouth but nothing came out, his face burning and his hands hanging limp at his sides. “I- I flirt with  _ everyone! _ It doesn’t  _ mean _ anything! I… He doesn’t… Look, you don’t know what you’re talkin’ about. He’s helping me find my future  _ wife, _ alright?”

The water nymph was infuriatingly calm, watching Dean with sad eyes that looked impossibly old for such a seemingly youthful creature. He gave Dean a melancholy smile. “You’re a fool. And that elf cares about you.” 

Kevin climbed back into his canoe then, pushing off without another word and leaving Dean standing on the shore, unable to find his words in time to make some sort of smart-assed retort. The water nymph’s head was tilted back, small, peaceful smile on his face as he took in everything that surrounded him, putting his new and improved vision to good use.

What was with all these damn forest creatures and their dramatic walk-offs? 

Dean felt sick. And angry and fucking confused and he just wanted to curl in on himself and make everything simple again. 

But he couldn’t so he stomped through the muddy bank and reentered that damn forest, finding the elf leaning against the thick grey trunk of a willow. His expression was blank as he looked at Dean, pushing off the tree and falling into line beside him. 

They walked for maybe ten minutes before Dean just couldn’t handle it anymore and came to a stop, spinning on his heel to face the elf. 

“Are you seriously gonna keep giving me the cold shoulder ‘cause I flirted with some mermaid?” 

The elf looked startled by Dean’s words and Dean was just grateful to see an actual expression cross his features. His face hardened back into that stoic mask in the next second though. “You can flirt with whoever you want. I am not trying to be ‘cold’ I just think it’s better for the both of us if we keep our interactions to a minimum.” 

Castiel continued walking then and Dean got pissed. “God _ dammit,  _ Cas! Are you being serious right now? If you don’t care who I flirt with then what the fuck are you pissed at me for?”

Cas stopped walking, back stiffening as his hands curled into fists at his sides. He spun back around to face Dean and the stoic mask he had held in place for the past few hours was gone, fury and  _ hurt _ so evident in his features that it made Dean falter, his heart aching for the elf. 

“I never said that I don’t care,” Cas’s voice was rough as he bit out the words through gritted teeth. “But it doesn’t  _ matter _ whether or not I do, Dean.”

Dean strode forward in a fury, closing some of the distance between them but leaving a couple feet as a buffer. “Who the fuck says it doesn’t matter?” 

“You are getting  _ married, _ Dean. Do you not understand that? Whatever…” The elf’s words faltered as he gestured between the two of them, his heated expression cooling, his features weighted down with a heavy sadness. He kept his eyes on the ground as he spoke again, unable to look at Dean. “Whatever I feel for you is foolish. It’s unfeasible and indulging in it will only make it hurt more when you leave me behind. So… please. Stop. Just stop.” 

His words were almost a whisper, choked out of him, his entire body rigid like he was trying so desperately to control himself. 

He knew the elf was right. 

They should keep everything between them strictly businesslike. 

Except that whole plan was already fucked to hell because Dean cared about the elf too. So much that it kinda terrified him. And goddammit this was not supposed to happen. How the hell did this happen? 

He didn’t think he’d ever wanted to run away from his kingdom and every responsibility that being a prince entailed more than he did now. 

Because this  _ hurt.  _ It hurt so bad to see Cas barely holding back tears because of him. 

“You’re right.” 

His words had the elf’s wide eyes darting back up to his. 

“But I…” He took a breath only to completely deflate, pushing all the air out of his lungs in a rattling breath as he searched the elf’s deep blue eyes, his vision swimming slightly. “I’m scared,” he admitted quietly. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I mean I know what my father wants me to do… what  _ everyone _ wants me to do… I… I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Cas.” 

Dean ducked his head then, willing his tears away and hating the way his throat tightened. 

He almost jumped when the elf was suddenly right in front of him, gathering him tentatively into his arms and tucking his head over Dean’s shoulder. Dean was stiff for a moment before he melted against Cas’s chest, wrapping his arms around the elf and shutting his eyes. 

Castiel’s slender fingers stroked the back of his head soothingly. “Please don’t cry. I didn’t mean to hurt you, I was trying to do the opposite.” His rough voice didn’t rise above a whisper as he continued to hold Dean close. “I don’t know what the right thing to do is either. But you do not need to apologize to me.”

Dean couldn’t keep a few stray tears from spilling out of his eyes and he squeezed the elf a little tighter. He didn’t deserve the comfort. But Cas was so warm and kind and Dean couldn’t help wishing he could just keep on holding the elf. Just a little longer. 

“I do need to apologize,” Dean responded gruffly. “I’m an ass and I don’t think before I do things. And I sucked you into this whole mess in the first place. You’ve almost died about ten times because of me. So I’m sorry. Which I know is worth jack squat but… well I’m sorry anyway.”

“I don’t regret joining you on your quest,” Cas told him quietly. “I’ve never…  _ lived  _ more than I have in the time I’ve spent with you. My life is not usually so exciting.” 

“Yeah gettin’ kidnapped and murdering faeries… tons of fun,” Dean retorted, his usual biting sarcasm coming out weakly. 

“Actually… yes. Not the killing. But I do find the adventures we’ve had quite enjoyable.” 

Dean found himself smiling softly in spite of the ache in his chest. “Yeah well, me too.”

They fell into a comfortable silence, neither quite willing to step back from the embrace yet. Dean really couldn’t tell you how long they stood there. The pale yellow leaves of the willows curled black above them, falling to the ground. The grey branches tangled together to form thicker ones, reaching heavenwards, their color deepening to gamboge and white blossoms budding all along them. 

The changing trees no longer frightened Dean, he was more in awe of it than anything else. 

“We should try to sleep,” Castiel said softly, finally breaking the quiet that blanketed them. 

Dean stiffly released Cas, taking a small step back. Castiel’s eyes bore into him, eyebrows pulled up in the middle and that same sad smile Kevin wore on his lips. He let go of Dean, the sad smile sliding off his lips as his eyes became unfocused, roaming over Dean’s face. He reached slowly towards him until calloused fingertips found Dean’s jaw, trailing over the edge of it and down towards his chin with a lost expression on his face. His fingertips ran lightly over Dean’s bottom lip.

Dean held still, his expression just as lost as Castiel’s as he watched the elf. Unable and unwilling to tear his eyes away. 

“I would very much like to kiss you again,” Castiel said quietly, wide blue eyes finding Dean’s again. His fingertips fell from Dean’s lips and he took a small step back. “But I don’t think that would be a wise decision.”

“Cas…” 

Dean closed the distance between them with another step. His breathing was shaky and his hands were trembling with the desire to reach out for the elf. The elf’s chest was heaving as well, eyes flicking from Dean’s lips to his eyes. 

He shut his eyes and pressed his forehead into Castiel’s. Castiel moved the smallest bit closer, nose running along the side of Dean’s and his breath coming out in ragged pants that ghosted across his lips and made him feel like his skin was on fire. 

The elf’s hand moved up his chest, wadding up his shirt in a white knuckled fist. He could feel Castiel’s brow furrow beneath his. 

Dean reached out, hands running gingerly up the elf’s sides, feeling his ribs expand and contract quicker under his touch. 

Castiel’s lips came crashing into his with bruising force then, letting go of Dean’s shirt to cling to his hair and throw an arm around his shoulders. Dean grasped at the elf’s back, the thin material of his shirt bunching under Dean’s fingers. 

The elf’s chest pushed tighter into his in a desperate bid to get closer as they kissed frantically, lips slick as they devoured each other. Dean was flooded with heat and an all consuming, aching need to be closer. His tongue delved into the wet heat of Castiel’s mouth, tasting him and exploring his mouth thoroughly. Castiel made a small sound of surprise at the invasion that quickly turned into a low moan of pleasure, stroking along Dean’s tongue with his own and tilting his head slightly so Dean could get deeper. 

Castiel’s palm ran over his cheek, fingers curling over his cheekbone and temple. He broke apart for a second, heaving in air before crashing back into each other again and again with heated kisses that let them breathe a little bit. 

The elf’s hand pushed under his shirt, slightly shaky fingers dragging across his stomach and setting Dean on fire. Then Castiel pulled back abruptly, tearing his hand out of Dean’s shirt with a look of panic. 

“We can’t- I- I’m not-” He stammered out, blue eyes wide as he took another few steps back. 

Dean was still trying to catch his breath. He held his hands up placatingly. “It’s okay, Cas. You don’t have to um… that got out of hand.” 

“Yes.” 

Cas’s hair was wild (even more so than usual), his lips swollen and slightly reddened, slick with spit. A slight flush painted his cheekbones and the tips of pointy ears pink. His chest was still heaving, alien blue eyes roaming over Dean the same way Dean’s were roaming over him.

“You’re beautiful,” Dean breathed out, eyes locked hopelessly on Cas. He hadn’t really meant to say it out loud, but he had been thinking it. 

Castiel’s eyebrows pinched, head tilting slightly in confusion, as if he couldn’t understand why someone would say that to him. He looked down at himself in assessment, flexing slender fingers. “I am not beautiful, Dean.” 

Dean smiled a little sadly and shrugged, strolling over to the nearest tree and sliding down the trunk to sit on the ground. “Guess we can just agree to disagree.”

He folded his arms over his chest and shut his eyes. 

“You just gonna stand there all night or are you gonna try to sleep?” Dean asked, not bothering to open his eyes. He knew the elf was still standing. He could feel his gaze boring a confused hole into the side of his face. 

A few leaves crunched underfoot as Cas walked towards him. He was a little surprised when the elf sat directly next to him, their shoulders pressed together. He was even more surprised when the elf lifted Dean’s arm, wrapping it around himself and resting his cheek on Dean’s chest. 

His eyes fluttered open to make sure what he thought was happening was actually happening. Castiel wrapped an arm around Dean’s waist, tugging them a little more firmly together, eyes already shut. Dean could tell he wasn’t asleep yet though because his body was still tense, a hot blush on his cheeks. 

Dean let himself relax then, hopefully letting Cas know silently that he wasn’t gonna push him away. 

Eventually Castiel relaxed into Dean, his breathing evening out, mouth dropping open as he snored softly. Dean tried to do the same but his mind was buzzing, the only thing keeping him from spiraling into a full blown panic was the warm weight of the elf curled up against him. And how fucked was that? 

Tears stung his eyes again as he tipped his head back against the tree, peering up through the branches overhead to see the stars twinkling above him. He wished that he could be like the stars, or the sun, or the moon. They were constant. They rose and they fell, twinkled into existence when the night fell and sputtered out when the sun rose. They had a fixed course of action, a true destiny. No one asked the sun to stay longer, or the moon to stop hanging in the sky. 

Dean was not like the sun or the moon. He was just a human. He was fallible. Bendable and breakable and his path wasn't laid out clearly in front of him. 

Or, he supposed it sort of was, but being human meant he had a choice. Sometimes he just wished he didn't. Because h e had never felt more lost. Completely untethered. 

He had no idea what he was supposed to do. 

He knew what he wanted to do. And he knew what his kingdom wanted him to do, what his father wanted him to do, what he was  _ meant  _ to do. 

No matter what choice he made he’d hurt people, disappoint people, enrage them. 

This quest really was gonna kill him. 


	12. Chapter 12

Castiel was finding it hard to meet Dean’s eyes after… well after that conversation- maybe more of an argument actually. And then Castiel had kissed the human a _third_ time.

He hadn’t originally even been sure what a kiss _was._ Elves didn’t show affection that way. It had been innocent when he’d asked Dean for a kiss that first time. He’d been curious. But that third kiss had _not_ been innocent.

Castiel was not completely naive. He knew that people that who were supposed to be nothing more than friends did not do _that_ with each other.

So, the elf was finding it difficult to meet Dean’s eyes.

He walked slightly ahead of the human, keeping his eyes on the path in front of them. The pink tree’s with their curlicue branches were thinning, pale green grass becoming more and more sparse the farther they walked. The heat was almost like a physical weight in the air, causing sweat to gather at his temples and make his hair even more of an unmanageable mess than it usually was. He _hated_ when his hair start to curl in the heat.

Castiel reached for the hem of his shirt, tugging it up over his head as he walked and hanging it on his belt.

He breathed a sigh of contentment as he soon as his skin was exposed to the air. This was so much better. Clothing was a nuisance anyway.

“Dude. What the hell are you doing?”

Castiel turned slightly to find the human blushing, although it _could_ have been the heat, the distinctly uncomfortable expression on his face made Castiel think it was the former. “I am walking,” Castiel responded, confused as to what was bothering the human so much.

“You just gonna walk around the forest naked?” The human exclaimed, blush deepening and voice going up a few octaves.

“I am not naked,” He stated. He spared a cursory glance at the black material of his pants before a small grin lifted the corner of his mouth and he raised his eyes back to the human’s. “I could be though.” He wasn’t quite sure what compelled him to say it, perhaps his brother Gabriel had possessed him for a moment, but watching the human’s blush darken to impossible shades was well worth it. A laugh burst out of Castiel, the sound surprising them both.

A lopsided grin pulled up Dean’s lips. “Did you just laugh?”

“Yes.” Castiel faced forward again, head lowered so he could watch the grass crunch beneath his feet and unable to wipe the small smile off his face. “Hm.”

Dean jogged forward a few feet to fall into step beside Castiel. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh. I mean not really. You kinda laughed at me in a cruel way when I was hangin’ from that ghoul trap.”

Castiel narrowed his eyes at him. “Your idiotic nature was amusing.”

“Yeah, no, I get it, you’re a jackass.” The human grinned at him and Castiel found himself rolling his eyes, shoving lightly at the human’s shoulder and sending him teetering to the side a few steps. “Well would ya look at that? You didn’t shove me so hard I needed some sort of magical healing.”

“You didn’t need ‘magical healing’ last time. You just needed regular healing,” Castiel reminded him. The human could be rather dramatic sometimes.

The human’s crooked smile widened a fraction, warming his eyes. It made Castiel’s stomach feel all fluttery. The only thing he could really compare the feeling to was falling. Leaping from too high and for a few seconds you’re falling, almost flying. Until you hit the ground. Hard. Coming back down to earth with jarring pain and often the inhalation of dirt.

Castiel looked away from the human sharply, keeping his eyes fixed firmly in front of him.

They continued to walk in silence, the farther they walked the less trees there were. The grass gave way to a rust colored dust that kicked up as they walked, settling into their skin. They must be approaching some sort of clearing. Or maybe another body of water.

Or… a gigantic canyon. The only clear way across it was a thin, rickety bridge, suspended over the canyon with fraying rope and moldy slats of wood.

Castiel came to a stop at the beginning of the bridge, the dust settling over his feet. He peered over the edge of the canyon, it must be at least a thousand feet deep. Probably more. He couldn’t see the bottom, it was just an endless chasm. It reminded him of the lake. Deep, endless, murky, _black._

A wind whistled through the canyon, blowing out of it occasionally like the breath of a beast.

The elf snapped his head back up, peering across the bridge and to the other end of the canyon. The bridge would hold them… probably. They didn’t really have any other choice, and Castiel wasn’t one to mope around and hope for a better option when one wasn’t going to present itself. So he stepped out onto the bridge, walking carefully over the slats so he wouldn’t slip through. The whole bridge swayed beneath him as he walked, like a swing.

He came to a sudden stop when he realized the human wasn’t following him. He turned around, cocking his head slightly as he saw Dean still at the edge of the canyon, intense worry etched into his features. He walked carefully back towards the human.

“What are you waiting for? Come on, we have to cross.”

A high whine escaped the human and he bounced slightly on his heels. “Isn’t there another way?”

“This is the best way. I don’t think we can walk around the canyon.” The human didn’t seem to be any less apprehensive. Castiel sighed and ran his thumbs over his belt, feeling a little awkward, he had never been good at this. “I understand that heights frighten some people. But, you can’t even see the bottom of this canyon. That must help a little, right?”

Dean’s eyes widened incredulously. “No!”

Castiel sighed again and looked around him for some little factoid that might assure the human. He didn’t see any. His gaze finally settled on Dean’s again. “I will not let you fall.”

The human’s green eyes searched his for a long moment, hands on his hips as he thought. Dust had settled along the bridge of the human’s nose and a little bit in his hair. Somehow it made his eyes seem even more vibrant. “Fine,” Dean finally huffed. “You better not let me die.”

Another smile stretched Castiel’s lips, and he held his hand out for the human. “I haven’t yet.”

“Came close a few times,” Dean grumbled, stepping tentatively onto the bridge, the whole thing swaying and dipping beneath him as he did. The color drained from his face and he grabbed the hand that Castiel offered.

“You’re going to be okay,” Castiel assured him. “Just step carefully.”

A disbelieving groan of sorts came from the human as Castiel led them carefully down the narrow bridge, Dean’s fingers clamped tight around his own. The only noises were the soft sound of the wind whistling below them, the cool air had goosebumps rising all along Castiel’s exposed skin, the wood slats and rope creaking beneath their footsteps, straining slightly. And the human muttering to himself.

“Happy place, happy place, you are _not_ here, you’re in your happy place… fuck I don’t _have_ a happy place.” Another worried whine escaped the human.

“Look, Dean, we’re halfway there!” Castiel smiled brightly at the human, pointing across to the other side of the bridge.

The human returned his smile with a grimace.

They continued to step carefully across the ancient bridge, Dean’s grip in his hand never loosened but Castiel couldn’t really bring himself to mind the fact that his fingers were going numb. Why was Dean’s grip just so much _warmer_ than everyone else’s? That fluttery feeling returned to his stomach whenever he let his focus drift from the wooden slats in front of him and back to the hand in his own.

Castiel might not have ever really had a friend, but he knew that this was not friendship. This was something… _other._

He’d come to a new resolve after he spoke with Dean last night. Dean may not be his, and he may be leaving Castiel behind in a matter of days, but that didn’t mean the elf couldn’t enjoy this in the meantime. He was never going to have an adventure like this again. He would never meet someone like Dean again. So Castiel was just going to do his best to not think about the next day, or the next few days, and just let these small moments he had now sink deep into his bones.

Maybe if he tried hard enough he could save some of that warmth that he felt around Dean. Trap it some place behind his ribs and never let it go.

They reached the end of the bridge and Dean let out a loud sound of relief, dropping Castiel’s hand and scrambling away from the edge.

“I told you you’d be fine.” Castiel couldn’t help the amused grin that spread over his face at Dean’s obvious relief not being on the bridge anymore. He strode past the human, carrying on into the forest, the trees on this side of the chasm were a pale pink with curlicue branches as well.

“Yeah, yeah,” Dean muttered, dismissing the elf’s ‘I told you so’ with a wave of his hand.

They walked in a companionable silence. Occasionally Dean’s brows would furrow and it looked like he was about to say something, but he never did. Or he’d glance up, a faraway expression on his face, and his feet would slow the slightest bit. Castiel frequently wondered what the human was thinking but thought he might not like being asked.

The sun sunk lower in the sky, softening everything in it’s orange light.

“Hey, Cas, look!” Dean pointed a little ahead, excited smile lighting up his face. “It’s an apple tree!”

Castiel followed the human’s finger, finding what did indeed seem to be a large apple tree. “You just ate a few hours ago.”

“Dude, I’m _always_ hungry.”

The elf rolled his eyes as the human jogged ahead, climbing up into the branches to snag some of the red fruit. Castiel shuffled to a stop below the tree, searching it’s trunk for any sort of strange markings. It didn’t seem quite right. This was the only tree that had fruit growing on it from it for as far as Castiel could see. These trees could grow fruit, but when they did, they _all_ did.

One lone tree with fruit felt like a trap. Dean hopped down from the tree, arms full of apples and one already hanging from his mouth. He took a bite off, chewing loudly and tossing the apple up into the air before catching it again. Castiel’s eyes followed the rise and fall of the fruit, something niggling at the back of his head telling him that there was something off about this.

“Maybe you shouldn’t eat that, Dean.”

“What, why?” He glanced at the half eaten apple in his hand and then narrowed his eyes at Castiel. “Dude you’re paranoid. It’s just an apple.” He tossed one to the elf, missing wide right but Castiel’s hand darted out to catch it anyway. “Take a bite, then you’ll see there’s nothin’ wrong with it.”

Castiel sent a wary glance at the shiny red apple in his hand.

Dean rolled his eyes. “Or not. Whatever, man. Your loss.”

The elf was about to tell Dean once more that he really should stop eating the apples when a scurrying sound had him spinning, ripping his dagger from his belt to face down whatever may try to threaten them.

It was… well Castiel didn’t know _what_ to call it. It looked almost like a small dog but, with bigger eyes and fluffier fur, and something about it’s features told Castiel that this creature was not dim like a dog, but intelligent.

“Dude!” The human chastened, coming to stand beside him. “Chill out, it’s just a cute little furball.”

Castiel narrowed his eyes at Dean. “You do not know _what_ it is.”

The ‘furball’ made a small noise, almost like a high pitched purring sound, scuffling a little closer to Dean and looking right at him with wide, wet eyes. “Aww, just look at him, Cas. He’s adorable.”

Dean set his apples down at his feet to crouch, reaching a hand out towards the creature.

“Dean!” Castiel snapped. “What are you doing?”

“Calm down, Cas, I just wanna pet him.”

Castiel’s eyes were wide with disbelief. He crouched down abruptly beside the human, grabbing his face to turn Dean’s head toward him.

“Whoa, man, you gotta chill. ‘s just a little furball.”

Castiel’s sharp gaze looked over the human, his eyes were slightly glassy, pupils dilated. “I _knew_ there was something wrong with those apples. You are not in your right mind, Dean. Do not try to pet that creature, I think it may have something to do with this.”

Dean huffed a loud and dramatic sigh, trying to hand Castiel another apple. “Dude, just eat one, you’ll feel so much better.”

“Enough with the apples, Dean!”

He released the human’s face, straightening back up to his full height and turning the brunt of his glare on the small creature at his feet. It blinked back up at him innocently, another little chirp spilling from it. Then it bent and rolled an apple towards Castiel with it’s nose.

“What is this?” Castiel growled. “I know you’re not some innocent little creature.”

Dean got clumsily back up to his feet, resting a heavy hand on Castiel’s shoulder. “Cas, did I ever tell you that you have really pretty eyes? _So_ pretty.”

Castiel turned slowly to fix Dean with his incredulous stare.

“There they are,” Dean slurred, pointing at Castiel’s eyes.

 _“Eat the apple,”_ a low voice growled.

Castiel and Dean both whipped their heads back around to the creature that was not so little anymore. It had grown almost as tall as them, it’s hackles raised and snout elongated, pulled back in a vicious snarl to expose long rows of sharp teeth.

 _“Eat the apple,”_ the creature repeated.

“Daaaaaammmnnn that’s good. Tha’s a pretty good trick. Did you see that, Cas? He just grew like ten times his original size.” Dean grinned sloppily at the elf as he pointed at the creature snarling at them.

Castiel raised his dagger again. “Leave before I kill you,” he warned the creature with a snarl of his own.

The creature… smiled. And then Castiel’s dagger was knocked out of his hand by Dean. His green eyes had a white mist over them and he was no longer clumsy and rambling. He moved like a puppet.

“Dean…”

Puppet Dean’s lips twisted into a terrifying imitation of smile, the sight made Castiel shudder, his stomach churning. He moved to punch Castiel and the elf barely swerved out of the way, his mind whirring. He landed his own counterblow to Dean’s side, but it didn’t seem like he could feel it.

He needed to incapacitate the human without causing him serious injury so he could kill the creature that was controlling him.

Dean seemed much more capable than he usually was however, and Castiel wasn’t prepared for it. He struck hard and fast, not giving Castiel any time to think, let alone breathe. Rapid punches had him sucking in air and spitting out blood. He stumbled back a few steps, raising his eyes to Dean again as he wiped the corner of his mouth.

Dean didn’t let him stumble back far though, closing the distance between them and crouching to grab his ankle, ripping him off his feet and down onto his back, knocking the air out of his lungs.

Castiel couldn’t help but think that he should be winning this. He was just as strong as the human, and this creature controlling Dean could not be a better strategist than him. Castiel was a good fighter. He should be winning this. Why wasn’t he winning this?

He realized with a sinking feeling as the human straddled him, landing another solid blow to his jaw that he didn’t want to hurt Dean. And that was why he was losing.

But if he lost then so did Dean. Dean would become a mindless slave to this creature.

Castiel punched Dean hard in the gut, grabbing onto his hair as he doubled over briefly and rolling them. Dean tried to strike again so he grabbed his wrists, pinning them in the dirt above his head. The creature was growling as Dean thrashed beneath him, unable to move.

“I am sorry about this,” Castiel told Dean, trying to look past the white mist in his eyes before he brought his skull down hard to meet the human’s, knocking Dean out cold.

Castiel climbed off of Dean, picking up his dagger and turning on the creature then, who cowered back against the apple tree.

“I don’t think you’re quite as you seem,” Castiel noted, his voice taking on a dangerous lilt to it. “If you truly were such a vicious creature as the one I see before me, you’d have no need for a human to do your bidding.”

He continued to step closer and the creature stepped back until it was pressed up against the tree, it’s own trap. He was done playing with the creature. He lunged forward, ripping through it’s throat with his blade, a terrible grimace on Castiel’s blood splattered face.

The creature died with a hideous gasp, blood gurgling in it’s throat and spilling from it’s snout. As soon it stilled completely, the image of the creature seemed to flicker, morphing until it was no more than a hideous, hairless thing.

Castiel wiped the blood from his face with the back of a shaky hand and re-sheathed his blade. He did not enjoy killing things. He looked down at himself and realized his bare chest was splattered with the creature's blood too. He was about to wipe at that as well but realized there was no point, it would only smear. Castiel imagined that if he could see his own reflection that he’d look to be a beast.

He tried to push the thought out of his mind, turning to find Dean lying exactly where he’d left him. He hurried to his side, kneeling beside him in the dirt and pulling an eye open, breathing a sigh of relief when there was no longer that white mist hiding the green.

He fixed Dean’s unconscious face with an annoyed look. “My first impression of you was correct,” he told the unconscious human. “You are an idiot.”

He picked up the human, slinging him across his shoulders to spread the weight evenly and make him easier to carry. He had no idea how long the human would be unconscious for.

“And you have the _worst_ luck,” Castiel continued to grumble to Dean, even though he might as well be talking to himself. Castiel’s jaw ached, and he knew a bruise was probably already blooming there. His lip was split and there was another sore spot high on his cheekbone, something else bound to be discolored with a bruise. Castiel’s chest and stomach were also peppered with bruises that were getting darker by the minute.

Dean’s knuckles were bloody. Other than that he seemed to be mostly fine. He’d probably awaken with a badly aching head.

Castiel continued to walk, trying not to mind the dull ache in his feet that never seemed to go away these days. He walked until the sun dipped low over the horizon, spilling red across the sky, like a last bloody gasp of day.

The human started to stir then, so Castiel came to a stop, setting him down as gently as he could and sitting beside him, legs crossed in his lap.

“Cas?” Dean croaked, sitting up stiffly and reaching up to press a hand to his forehead. “What the hell happened?” His gaze roamed over Castiel then, eyes widening. “Shit, what the hell happened to you?”

“You do not remember?” Castiel asked with a slight tilt of his head, brow furrowed as he searched Dean’s wide eyes.

“Remember _what?_ What the hell happened?”

For a moment Castiel thought about making something up, lying. But he just couldn’t do it. “You ate those apples. There was… something in them, that this creature used to control you. I’m sorry about the headache, I had to knock you out.”

“I did… _that?”_ He pointed at the entirety of Castiel.

“Well, not _you._ I like to think you wouldn’t purposely attack me. And I don’t think you’re quite as skilled a fighter as this version of you was.”

Dean didn’t even crack a smile at the jibe, he looked horrified. “Cas, I’m so sorry. Why the hell didn’t you kick my ass?” He looked himself over, eyes landing on his bloody knuckles and his face paling. He raised his eyes back to Castiel, taking in the entirety of his injuries. “Cas, you should’ve kicked my ass.”

“Dean…” Castiel moved closer to the human, kneeling beside him where he was drawing his knees to his chest. “It wasn’t you. It’s not your fault.” He pried Dean’s fingers off his knee, bringing his hand to Castiel’s bruised jaw. “See, I’m already healing. I’ll be fine,” he told the human softly.

Dean’s gaze softened, fingertips moving gently over Castiel’s jaw, drifting up his cheek to touch the bruise on his cheekbone. His hand travelled back down, but instead of returning to his own knee his fingertips skimmed over Castiel’s throat. The elf’s heart raced with the touch, his breath coming harder. Castiel’s stomach swooped as Dean’s hand continued to travel lower, moving gingerly over the bruises across his chest.

Castiel’s ribs expanded quicker with shaky breath, eyes fixed on Dean’s expression, he looked mesmerized. Dean’s touch slid even lower to skim over the bruises on his stomach, Castiel’s eyelids fluttering a bit as he did, heat flooding through him.

His hand moved back up Castiel’s chest then and the elf couldn’t decide if he was relieved or disappointed. Dean’s palm settled over his heart, it thudded harder against his ribs, like it was trying to break out.

Dean’s gaze flicked back up to his then, Castiel found a resigned sort of distance there and he _hated_  it. He didn’t want to be distant.

“Dean… stop looking at me like that. Don’t look at me like you’ve already lost me.”

“Cas-” Dean started to protest with a slow shake of his head, pulling his hand away. But Castiel just _couldn’t._ He couldn't let Dean slip away from him like that.

“Please,” Castiel begged, grabbing Dean’s wrist and holding his now closed fist to his chest.

“What are you asking me for, Cas?” Dean’s voice was rough, his eyes unsure.

“This is all I have, Dean. These last few days before we reach the tower. So don’t look at me like that. Don’t look at me like we’re there already when we’re _not._ I am _here._ And for now you’re here with me. So will you just stop looking at me like that? Please.”

Castiel tried to swallow around the growing lump in his throat as he blinked rapidly, trying to clear his blurred vision.

“Okay,” the human answered after a minute, his gaze soft and apologetic as he watched Cas. “Okay.” Castiel released Dean’s wrist then.

Dean opened his arms a little hesitantly, an invitation. It didn’t take anymore for the elf to barrel into the human’s chest, wrapping arms around him and knocking him on his back.  Castiel squeezed his eyes shut, resting his ear over Dean’s heartbeat and hoping he wasn’t going to be pushed away.

The human’s chest rumbled beneath him with a deep laugh. He hooked his hand behind Castiel’s knee, tugging abruptly so that Castiel was straddling him instead of having his legs off to the side. His hands ran slowly up Castiel’s back and Castiel felt himself relax, melting deeper into Dean’s chest with the touch.

“Someone didn’t get hugged enough as a kid,” Dean teased.

“I’ve only been hugged once by my mother,” Castiel told him. “You’re the only one who’s hugged me besides her.”

“What?! Really?”

“Elves are not affectionate creatures,” Castiel explained.

The human laughed again beneath him. “Sorry I’m findin’ that a little hard to believe.”

“I’m a very strange elf,” Castiel admitted quietly, the confession not as painful as it usually was. Maybe it was because he was wrapped up in the human’s arms.

Dean’s hands roamed a little slower over his back. “Well maybe that’s a good thing.”

A small smile lit up Castiel’s face and he blinked his eyes open, nuzzling a little tighter into Dean’s chest. “Perhaps.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was about twice as long as my usual ones, I'm not really sure why that happened, and I don't know whether or not you can expect it again in the future. But for now, enjoy the longer chapter. :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> XXX= POV change

Cas was being… weird. Weirder than usual anyway. Which was kinda sayin’ something.

It had been uncharacteristically chilly all day. Crisp air moving between thick bluish-green branches that wove together so what little sun there was was barely visible through the thick forest top. At one point it had even started raining, thankfully washing clean the mud, dust, and blood from their skin. It wasn’t raining anymore but the sun was hidden behind thick grey clouds, cool mud underfoot and splattered onto the back of their legs.

But despite the cool air, Cas was sweating. His shirt still hung on his belt, a pink flush spread over his chest and across his cheeks, all the way up to the tips of pointy ears.

He just seemed… distracted. Dean would say something and Cas would look at him for maybe a second before his eyes would just glaze over. And then he’d hurriedly look anywhere else but at Dean, rubbing hands down his face and walking faster.   

He was being so _weird._

And he would not go further than a foot away from Dean. He was so close that their shoulders brushed as they walked. And yeah, the elf wasn’t all that great with personal space to begin with, but this was kind of a new extreme.  

Then there was the whole… protective streak that was reaching insane levels.

They had crossed paths with a small group of tree nymphs (yeah surprise, surprise, not _every_ creature in this forest wanted to kill them, just most) and Cas had started growling. Tree nymph’s are _delicate._ They’re barely four feet tall, wispy little things that only want to protect the damn trees. Clearly nothing that needed to be fucking _growled_ at. The poor things were terrified, sprinting off in the opposite direction.

And then Cas wouldn’t answer him when he’d asked what the fuck that had been about. Just flushed deeper and looked confused by his own behavior for a moment before shaking his head and carrying on. Apparently elves couldn’t answer a straight question.

He narrowed his eyes at the elf walking ridiculously close to his side. His dark hair was curled at the temples where sweat was beading. His breathing was slightly labored, even though Dean had been walking with him for a while now and Cas was _never_ out of breath. Unless… well the only times he had seen Cas even slightly out of breath were when things had gotten a little too intimate between them. His eyes tracked down Cas’s profile, following the smooth line of his throat and down the expanse of his chest. Tightly packed muscle that moved fluidly under the elf’s heated skin with every movement.

Cas walkin’ around without his damn shirt on was apparently his new favorite thing. And it _might_ be Dean’s new favorite thing as well if it weren’t for the fact that he couldn’t fucking _do_ anything about it when the sight made Dean insanely hot under the collar.

“Cas, what is _up_ with you? Are you sick? Is this some sort of elf-sickness that I need to know about?”

“Nothing is _up.”_ The elf lifted his eyes to Dean’s to glare before swiftly returning them to the path ahead. “I can’t be…” Cas trailed off with a shake off his head. His words were all clipped and sounded strained, like they were being forced out of him. “It’s nothing. It’s just hot.”

“Yeah… except it’s actually cold,” Dean pointed out, circling his index finger up at the grey sky.

“Elves and humans run on different base temperatures,” Cas said matter of factly, refusing to meet Dean’s eye.

“Cas, that’s a load of bullshit and you know it.”

Dean came to a halting stop in front of the elf, slapping a palm over his forehead to feel his temperature. Cas gasped and tripped backwards a few steps with wide eyes.

What the hell? Dean was left standing with a confused expression and his hand still hanging in the air at elf-forehead height. “Cas what the h-”

“You can’t touch me right now, Dean,” Cas ground out, taking another few steps back.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Dean demanded, striding forward. “You’ve been glued to my side all day! And what, now you flinch if I lay a finger on you? What is _going on?”_

Cas continued to move back with a look of mild panic on his face as Dean walked towards him. “Dean, trust me, I really don’t think you want to know.”

“Yes, I do. And I’m kinda getting fed up with you avoiding me, so will you just spit it out?” Dean pleaded, planting his feet in the dirt, hands on his hips as he waited for an answer.

The elf’s big blue eyes were wide with panic, he seemed to be begging Dean to just let it go. But Dean was a stubborn bastard and he would stand here with his hands on his hips, waiting for an answer for another _week_ if he had to. Cas bent under the weight of Dean’s stare, crouching down in the dirt and pulling his knees to his chest, face hidden behind his hands.

“This is _not_ supposed to be happening yet,” Cas mumbled from behind his fingers, sounding so incredibly mortified that Dean could feel his resolve crumbling. His shoulders slumped from their indignant extension, hands falling from his hips to hang limply at his sides.

 _“What’s_ not supposed to be happening yet?” Dean asked softly, lowering down to kneel in front of the elf.

Cas let out a long whimpering groan and wrapped his arms around his knees, ducking his head behind them. “You should just go on ahead. I’m not going to be of any use to you for the next few days.”

“Cas, I’m not gonna go ahead without you. Don’t be dramatic. Just _tell me_ what’s going on,” Dean begged.

He raised his head slightly so Dean could see his eyes. “I’m going into heat.”

Dean swallowed thickly. “Oh.”

Cas groaned loudly and hid his face again. “Dean please just go.”

Leaving wasn’t even an option. Cas hadn’t told Dean a whole lot about what his normal life was like, but he’s pretty sure the elf has some sort of community. He’s not usually just wandering around this deep in the forest when he goes into heat. He probably has things and… people, that help him get through it. He wasn’t just gonna leave Cas alone and vulnerable where anything could do god know’s what to him.

Which meant he was staying. While Cas was in his heat. A very very _very_ bad idea was forming in the back of his head. An offer that he should _not_ make because it would only make things more complicated. A horrible idea, truly, the worst.

“So… basically, you’re gonna be insanely horny for the next few days?” Dean asked tentatively.

Cas lifted his head with a look of annoyance. “It’s more than that, Dean.”

“I said _basically,”_ Dean defended.

The elf sighed, searching Dean’s eyes for a moment before his gaze fell to Dean’s lips, pupils widening and the tip of a pink tongue peeking out to wet his lips. Another strained sound made it’s way out of the elf’s throat as he ducked his head again. “Elves go into heat during mating season, which is months away. It seems that for some reason my body thinks I’ve found a potential mate.”

Dean felt his own cheeks reddening. He coughed and rubbed at the back of his neck, finding an interesting leaf beside the elf’s muddy toes. The only person Cas had been around was _him._ He almost groaned aloud himself because Cas thinking of him that way should not make him feel practically giddy. And he really needed to stop smiling because this was not a situation to be fucking smiling about. He coughed again and wiped a hand down his face, pulling his smile with it.

“Cas…” Dean sighed, deciding to just go the ‘spit it out’ route. “I’ll… help you out. If you want. It’s not a big deal. I have no idea what you’re going through but it kinda seems like being super duper horny might be easier to deal with if you have someone to fuck.”

The elf’s sharp intake of breath was audible, slender fingers curling tight over his arms. “Dean you do not know what you’re saying… what you’d be agreeing to.”

“Well then _tell_ me,” Dean sighed exasperatedly. “It’s not like it’d be my first time, Cas.”

The elf seemed to curl in on himself even tighter, making him appear even smaller, and a realization dawned on Dean.

“Oh. Is it… have you never… ya know.” Fuck, Dean was so bad at this. “It’s okay if you haven’t! I mean, ya know, most of the people in this forest are dicks anyway.” Dean cringed at his poor choice of words.

“I am not popular amongst the other elves,” Cas spoke quietly, voice heavy with embarrassment and the tips of his ears heating hot pink. “No one has ever shown any interest. I’m too strange.”

Dean’s eyebrows pulled together and he sighed, reaching out tentatively to rest a hand on Cas’s forearm, the elf twitching as he did, his skin hot to the touch. “You are a little strange, but not in a bad way. Sounds to me like the other elves are a bunch of pricks. And you’re not, so you know…” Dean pulled his mouth to the side and scratched at the back of his scalp. “I’m not great with words. But you saved some idiot’s life about a thousand times and haven’t asked for anything in return. And you comforted me when you should’ve slapped me.” The elf raised his head timidly to watch Dean with a curious expression. Dean grinned and tacked on, “And you’re kind of a cuddly little thing. Which is surprising, considering you’re also kind of a badass who can behead people without blinking. When you need to. That’s all good strange in my book.”

“I am not little,” Cas grumbled pettily, lips turned up at the corner just the smallest bit. “And I did ask for something in return.” His blue eyes glittered, eyes flicking down to Dean’s lips briefly before raising back up. “You’ve kissed me enough to repay your debt I think. It would be greedy to ask for anything more.”

“Cas, that’s not why I said I would help you out, to repay some sort of debt.” His hand moved smoothly up Cas’s arm, resting over his shoulder. Cas’s eyes darkened again, breath picking up.

“It’s shameful to have sex if you’re not procreating,” Cas said quickly, all his words coming out in a rush, no real feeling behind them, like he was merely repeating something he had been told a thousand times before. He hesitated for a second before adding, “Actually I’m not sure if I believe that. Male elves get wet just like females, typically only in the presence of another male though. Male elves cannot reproduce with each other but evolved to have sex with each other. If we evolved that way then it shouldn’t be shameful. Only natural.”

“You kinda babble when you’re nervous don’t you?” Dean asked, amused smile tugging at his lips despite himself. His brain was kinda running that whole ‘male elves get wet’ thing on a loop. Was that hot or gross? Yeah, definitely hot. Ridiculously hot. Dean swallowed again, trying to ignore the heat swooping low in his gut. He ran his hand soothingly up and down Cas’s bicep. “Look, Cas. It really doesn’t have to be a big deal. Will you just let me help you out?”

 

XXX

 

Dean’s hand moving up and down his arm was setting him on _fire._ Having Dean here was making the beginning of his heat feel a thousand times more intense than it usually was. He was achingly stiff and all he wanted was to enthusiastically scream _YES!_ to Dean’s offer. But he feared Dean didn’t quite understand what he was offering. Castiel didn’t want to just have sex with Dean, he wanted to _mate_ him. Claim him as his own.

“Dean… if you… if we…” Castiel inhaled a shaky breath, trying to quell the desire that swelled inside him like a flame at just the thought of being with Dean like that. “I might try to mate you.”

“Well I just won’t let you then,” Dean said hurriedly, his own eyes having grown noticeably darker. He wasn’t sure the human knew that he had been steadily moving closer to Castiel as they talked. His knees were at Castiel’s feet now, and he was leaning closer every second.

“If my eyes start to glow you have to push me away,” the elf’s words all came out in a rush and he found himself unraveling, letting his arms drop from his knees, reaching out for Dean as he leaned closer as well.

Dean nodded quickly, eyes unfocused as Castiel’s fingers curled tightly in the soft fabric of the human’s shirt.

“You’re sure?” Castiel asked, searching the human’s eyes.

 _“Yes,_ Cas I’m su-”

Dean’s words were cut off as Castiel crashed into him, lips finding the human’s with a desperate kiss. He parted his lips wide, tilting his head slightly to taste the human in broad sweeping strokes. He wanted so _badly,_ needed this so much that he was shaking, heart pounding so hard against his ribs he thought they might crack. His trembling fingers moved through Dean’s soft hair, tightening, his arm wound around Dean’s shoulders, bunching up the fabric of his shirt in a fist.

He pushed even closer, straddling the human’s thighs and whimpering as their chests met, rapid heartbeats echoing off of each other. Castiel pulled back from their kiss, breathing heavily, “Dean, I need-”

Dean’s lust darkened eyes met his own, his lips were slick and reddened and Castiel almost moaned aloud at the sight. “I know.” The human’s hands moved gently down his sides, tightening over his hips and pulling Castiel down harder into his lap.

Castiel’s mouth dropped open as he moaned breathily at the sensation, fingers falling from Dean’s hair to curl over his cheek. He rolled his hips against Dean’s again without prompting, another deeper sound rumbling through his chest as he felt Dean’s erection against his own. He caught the human’s face between his hands, Dean’s heavy pink lids fluttering slightly as Castiel continued to grind against him, muscles tightening and releasing as the movement rolled through him. The human’s plush lips were parted as he breathed raggedly. He was so beautiful.

Castiel wanted to see _all_ of him. _Now._

He rucked up the hem of the human’s shirt, tugging until Dean lifted his arms and let him pull it up over his head, chucking the horrible thing far from them. Castiel let out another shaky breath that was bordering on a moan as he raked his eyes over Dean’s exposed chest, running tanned hands aimlessly over the paler skin, _needing_ to feel every inch of him.

Dean’s fingers curled into the waistband of his pants, pulling them together again. “Cas, what do you need?” Dean asked softly, palm dragging slowly up his stomach.

“I need you inside of me,” Castiel breathed out. “And then I want to be inside of you.”

A low sound spilled out of the human and rolled straight down Castiel’s spine, another wave of heat flooding over him and making his need that much more intense. He knocked Dean down onto his back, grabbing one of his ankles and ripping his boot off before doing the same to the other. He hooked his fingers into the top of Dean’s pants then, yanking them off with a little more force than was necessary and leaving Dean completely, wondrously, naked.

Castiel didn’t think he had ever wanted anything as badly as he wanted Dean. “You’re so beautiful, Dean,” Castiel told him breathlessly, moving his hands up Dean’s inner thighs and feeling the muscles quiver beneath his palms. He planted his left hand in the dirt beside Dean’s hip and ran the fingers on his right hand delicately up the shaft of Dean’s cock, so pretty, so heavy it was leaking pearly beads from the red tip. Dean let out a soft sound, his ribs shuddering with his breath.

“Cas, come on, stop sweet talkin’ me and fuck me.”

The elf tugged his own pants off with a little difficulty, tossing them to the side with Dean’s and crawling slowly back over the human. He figured he had about twenty seconds before he lost the last few shreds of control he had over the arousal that burned hot in his veins. He ran his hands slowly up Dean’s torso, pressing his fingertips so hard into Dean’s chest that they turned white.

Dean sat up then, his own hands moving fluidly up Castiel’s ribs. He pressed a soft kiss into Castiel’s lips. It was brief and it felt strangely innocent. Dean had never kissed him like that before. The human may not be so great with his words but his eyes were filled with silent reassurances. It uncoiled some of the tension he hadn’t realized had tightened in his belly.

He kept his eyes steady on Castiel’s as his hands to ran over the elf’s thighs, his right hand moving between them, middle finger circling his entrance. A small huff of laughter came from Dean, lopsided smile resting on his face. “You really do get wet, huh?””

“Uhuh.” Castiel was finding it difficult to answer Dean with complete sentences as his finger continued to move in small circles against his rim. He was so wet he could feel it on the back of his thighs. He needed Dean. Needed him so badly. “Dean, please,” he begged, pushing back against Dean’s finger. The human pushed his finger inside of Castiel then and the elf made a high, keen, sound, curling in closer to Dean. “Dean, more, I need more.”

Dean pushed another finger inside of him, and then another, stretching him open but not filling him up like he needed to be. He crooked his fingers, reaching for something as Castiel rode his fingers eagerly, desperate for more. The human’s fingers stroked some sensitive spot inside him, pleasure zipping up his spine as he stiffened for a moment, a surprised sound of pleasure rolling through his chest.

The human wore a smug grin as he reached for that spot again, pulling a higher sound out of Castiel. _“Dean,”_ Castiel growled, lifting off of Dean’s fingers and taking a firm hold of his cock and wiping the smug grin off his face as his breathing stuttered, eyelids fluttering. Castiel leaned in closer, tip of his nose sliding over the freckled bridge of Dean’s, their lips brushing. “I need you to fuck me now.”

The term ‘fuck’ hadn’t been familiar to Castiel before he met Dean. But the human did seem to like it quite a bit. He moaned softly against Castiel’s lips, wrapping hands around his hips again to guide him and pull him down into his lap. The head of Dean’s cock caught on his rim and Castiel pushed down, sinking down onto him fully, speared open with impossible heat.

His mouth dropped open with a deep, _“Ohh,”_ grabbing fistfuls of Dean’s hair and unable to look away from his dark eyes. The human’s hips shifted slightly, undulating and pushing somehow even deeper into him and Castiel was _gone._ He lifted himself up, the hot slide of Dean’s cock feeling so insanely _good._ He slammed his hips back down, a debauched sound escaping him. Castiel found a rhythm, riding Dean at a frantic pace, panting against the human’s lips and gripping his hair tight.

Dean’s fingers dug into his back so hard it was almost painful, but every touch from his human just felt perfect, so good, so good. The tops of the human’s cheeks were pink, mouth hanging open, gasping hot breath against Castiel’s lips.

It was so much sensation, it was overwhelming, so much more than anything Castiel had ever felt. The head of Dean’s cock caught against that sensitive spot inside him sporadically with Castiel’s wild movements. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple as the pleasure radiating through him reached new levels. He ran his fingers reverently down Dean’s cheek, shaking slightly and wishing his fingers weren’t so rough and calloused as he felt his human’s smooth skin.

He sunk down fully onto Dean, gyrating against him with slow movements that felt so much more intimate than his desperate riding. Stomach muscles clenching and releasing as the movement rolled through his body. He caught his human’s lips in a gentle kiss. Dean seemed surprised by the sudden change of pace, it made complete sense to Castiel though.

“Mine,” Castiel murmured against his human’s lips before pressing another soft kiss to them. “My human. I want you to be mine, Dean, my mate.” He caught Dean’s face in both of his hands then, thumb running gently over his cheek as he kissed him again, sweeping his tongue into his mouth to taste Dean, stroking slowly over his tongue.

“Cas,” Dean pulled back just enough to speak, his hands moving down his shoulder blades, trailing down his spine and finding his hips again, thrusting with small movements that pushed him deeper inside of Castiel. “That’s just the heat talking, okay? You don’t really want me like that.”

A growl tore out of Castiel’s throat and he rolled his hips harder. “I’m having a heat _because_ I want you like that.”

Dean’s eyes widened slightly before he came crashing back into Castiel with a groan, thrusting his tongue into the elf’s mouth and gripping his skin tightly again. Castiel’s fingers tangled into Dean’s hair as he started to ride Dean again, all sense of control and rhythm gone as he rode Dean with a frantic, desperate _need._

Dean’s nails dug into his back and Castiel cried out with pleasure, lips still dragging against Dean’s. He was so _close_ he could weep. Just so _so_ close to that peak. Dean’s mouth closed over his neck, sucking at his overheated skin and a whimper fell from Castiel’s lips as he clutched at his human, holding him as close as he possible could as his orgasm ripped through him, his muscles tensing and clenching around Dean as hot spurts of come painted both of their stomachs.

 _“Ahh,”_ Dean moaned, fingers tight over Castiel’s shoulder blades as he stiffened inside Castiel, biting into the side of his neck as he filled him.

Castiel tugged gently at Dean’s hair, pulling him off his neck and kissing his slack lips until they moved with his in a warm slide. He pushed Dean back until he laid on the ground, lifting gingerly off of him. “I want you now.”

“Already?” Dean asked breathlessly, his voice going up a few octaves.

“I _really_ want you,” Castiel rasped, kissing along the edge of Dean’s jaw before dropping to suck along the side of his neck like Dean had done to him. A soft sound spilled out of Dean as he sucked at his throat. Pulling sounds like that from Dean sent a fluttery feeling all through him, a surge of pride swelling in his chest.

He moved his mouth lower, hoping to pull more sounds from his human as he sucked and kissed across his chest. More out of curiosity than anything else he flicked his tongue against the pink bud of Dean’s nipple. Dean’s whole body twitched beneath him, a gasp drawn out of spit slicked and kiss bruised lips.

“Mm, do that again,” Dean moaned, heavy lidded eyes finding Castiel’s own eager gaze.

Castiel grinned, pleased with himself, and ran his tongue slower over the peaked nipple, keeping his eyes on Dean as he did so and watching his eyelids flutter, another moan shuddering through him. He tried the same with the other side and got a similar reaction. He closed his mouth over Dean’s nipple, sucking at it, and Dean’s chest arched up towards him, a high sound slipping out of him. Castiel’s breathing picked up at the sight, coming out in short pants against Dean’s skin and his own lids drooping as he watched his human.

He mouthed along Dean’s ribs, expanding and contracting a little quicker than they were a moment ago. This was nothing like what Castiel had been taught sex was supposed to be. It was supposed to be perfunctory, mechanical. You didn’t put your mouth on your partner, you just filled them with your seed, and if you got an orgasm out of it that was just a small bonus. There had been a reason Castiel hadn’t cared to have sex before this. He didn’t mind that the female elves were rarely interested in him, he didn’t want to mate with any of them anyway.

Castiel kissed his human’s soft stomach before catching the skin between his teeth, nipping gently before laving the mark he had made with his tongue. He fixed his gaze on Dean’s half hard cock then, he had a strange urge to taste that too. Instead of questioning the urge he lapped at the pink head, tasting some of his own slick and his human’s semen. Dean gasped and jerked beneath him. He was probably still too sensitive. Castiel placed an almost chaste kiss to the head of his cock in a silent apology.

He reached between his own legs, covering his fingers in his own slick before reaching for Dean’s hole, circling his rim. He used his other hand to push at Dean’s thighs, spreading his legs apart.

“Fuck,” Dean groaned, back arching up again and fingers tangling in his own hair. “You’re using your own… _fuck_ that is so insanely hot.”

Castiel’s brows furrowed and he tilted his head slightly as he pushed a finger inside of Dean. “I apologize if I’m too hot for your comfort, the heat raises my body temperature.”

Dean looked confused for a second before his brow smoothed out and his head tipped back as he laughed breathlessly. “Cas, you’re not too hot. I mean, you are, but not that kind. I was just saying you’re really fuckin’ sexy.”

“Oh.” Castiel could feel a blush heating his cheeks and spreading to the tips of his ears.

His human laughed again when he saw him, dragging a palm down his face. Castiel found himself smiling at the sight, pushing a third finger into him and reaching for that same spot that Dean had found inside him earlier. He felt a small bundle of nerves and Dean gasped out a high, _“Ah.”_ His hips bucking towards Castiel as he stroked it again and again.

Dean’s grip in his hair tightened, back arching up and eyes rolling up into his head as sharp sounds of pleasure stuttered past his lips. That sharp, overwhelming _need_ was rolling through Castiel again, his desire only growing stronger as he watched Dean coming undone like that because of _him. He_ was making Dean feel like that, his Dean, his human, so brave and warm and _loud._  

He ripped his fingers out of Dean, a whine bubbling out of his human’s throat at the loss. But Castiel quickly lined up his leaking cock with Dean’s rim, pushing inside of him until he was buried in all that tight heat and pulling a raspy moan out of Dean. He slid out partially before sinking back into him, a shaky groan tumbling past his lips.

Dean pulled him in abruptly, winding his arms around Castiel so they were pressed flush, Dean’s cock trapped between their stomachs. Castiel dug his fingers into the dirt beside Dean’s head, watching Dean’s blissed out expression and wondering if his own matched.

He pulled his right hand out of the dirt to grip Dean’s chest, roaming aimlessly across his heated skin and settling on his shoulder. He buried his face in his human’s neck, his hips snapping into Dean with more force, punching a moan out of him. Castiel’s teeth grazed over the delicate skin of his human’s throat before dragging his lips lower, tongue dipping into the hollow of his throat to taste the sweat that had gathered there.

He squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his forehead in tighter to Dean’s neck, his grip on his human’s shoulder tightening so much he was afraid he might leave a bruise. He wanted to make Dean his so badly. He was _filled_ with the urge to mate him, let his eyes fill with the light of his soul and brand Dean with it. He was shaking with the effort of holding back.

Dean’s hands moved smoothly over his back, grasping at him, _trusting_ him. His legs wound around Castiel’s hips and a whimper spilled out of Castiel as he nuzzled deeper into his human’s neck. _His_ human, that felt so good, so _right._ Dean was _his_ and he didn’t want anyone else to have him, to touch him and hold him. “I’m yours,” Castiel murmured against his skin. “Just yours.”

“Cas,” Dean chastened breathlessly, winding fingers into his hair to pull him up to eye level. “Don’t say that, you don’t want me to be your mate, okay?”

Castiel’s fingers dug harder into the dirt and Dean’s shoulder and he pulled almost all the way out before _slamming_ back into him, Dean’s mouth falling open with a loud cry of pleasure as he did so. “Do _not_ tell me what I do and do not want,” Castiel growled.

Dean nodded absently, another sob of pleasure tearing out of his throat as he threw his head back. _“Fuck.”_

A possessive growl rumbled through Castiel’s chest at the sight, keeping up the brutal pace and watching his human come completely undone beneath him, sweating and shaking with pleasure.

Dean tightened his hold in Castiel’s hair, refocusing his gaze on Castiel with a look of wonder that Castiel didn’t understand. His other hand was gripping at Castiel’s shoulder blade again.

He brought his mouth to Castiel’s with an animalistic desperation. The elf moaned into Dean’s mouth, lips quickly becoming slick with spit as they devoured each other. His hips lost what little rhythm they had left, pistoning frantically into Dean as he chased release. A high sound was punched out of Dean, his fingers clutching desperately at Castiel. His eyebrows pinched, mouth hanging open as he stiffened beneath Castiel.

 _“Ah, fuck!”_ Dean cried out.

A sob of pleasure ripped out of Castiel as he curled into Dean, buried as deep inside him as he could be as he filled him with his come. _“Ohhh.”_ He slumped over Dean’s chest, pressing an open mouthed kiss to the center of his chest before nuzzling his cheek into his human’s heated skin and wrapping his arms around him as best as he could.

Dean’s chest rose and fell, lifting him with it as he tried to catch his breath. “I really didn’t think I was gonna be able to come again so soon.”

Castiel made a soft noise of contentment, rolling his hips lazily inside his human and earning a small gasp and a breathless laugh from him. His legs unwound stiffly from the elf, tangling their legs together and massaging mindless patterns into the muscle of his back.

“Hey, the trees changed color again.” Another small huff of laughter rumbled through his chest. “I didn’t even notice. They’re lilac now, all thin and spindly, no leaves.”

Castiel tilted his head up to watch his human, cheek still stuck to his chest. He reached up to run his fingers gently over Dean’s cheek, down the blade of his jaw and pulling at his bottom lip. Dean’s eyes found his own, lit up with curious amusement. “I’m yours,” Castiel repeated his sentiment from earlier. “I’ll always be yours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be no mpreg in this story, male elves cannot get pregnant and they cannot impregnate humans, sorry to dash your dreams. But yeah, this story has an explicit rating for a reason. ;) 
> 
> This chapter was even longer than the last! I hope you liked it. Thank you so much for your support on this story, for reading, commenting, and subscribing! <3


	14. Chapter 14

The relatively chilly air of the night didn’t do much to cool their overheated skin or dry their sweat. Castiel was hot to the touch because of his heat, Dean because of Castiel. 

Dean had never helped anyone through a heat, and he definitely didn’t have his own. But he’d figured out a few key things pretty quickly. He figured he could work two or three orgasms out of the elf before he was finally sated. At least for a few hours. The lusty haze around Cas’s eyes cleared for those few hours, but the cuddly, protectiveness that had been awoken in him only seemed to get worse. 

Not that Dean minded. Actually he rather enjoyed the feel of all that hot skin spread over his, the elf’s touch was naive, shamelessly curious. He had never been with a creature like Castiel. 

The elf’s hand was currently moving in less of an aimless meander across his ribs and more of a drag, gripping at his skin as his breathing became heavier, locking his leg around Dean’s thigh and start to grind against his hip with slow movements.

“Dean.” Castiel’s deep voice seeped under his skin, heating him despite the ridiculous amount of times he’d already come today. 

Dean took hold of the elf’s hip, pushing him onto his back and settling over him. He met Cas’s darkened gaze, watching delicate pink lids flutter under the attention. There seemed to be a permanent flush under the elf’s tanned skin today, the thin layer of sweat giving his skin a slight shine, accentuated by the pale moonlight that fell through the tree branches. 

“Dean,” Cas repeated, desire coloring his words, a plea in his eyes as rough hands found Dean’s hips, pulling him in so their lower halves ground together, a pleasant buzz rolling through him at the contact. Castiel exhaled a breathy sigh of relief as he continued to undulate against Dean, cock now fully hard, hot and leaking, the friction had Dean’s own dick stiffening valiantly. 

He pulled out of the elf’s grip, breaking contact and hushing the elf's protests with a gentle kiss. “I’m too tired to roll around on the forest floor with you for another hour,” Dean explained softly, kissing the blade of Castiel’s jaw. “So you can have my mouth, and then we’re going to sleep.”

“I don’t understand.” Cas shifted restlessly beneath him. 

Dean smiled tiredly and trailed kisses down the elf’s tanned chest, muscles occasionally jumping beneath his lips, Cas’s fluttery grasp on his shoulders as his spine continued to arch and fall impatiently. He closed his mouth around Cas’s hip, sucking and nipping at the spot until he was sure he would leave a mark. 

The elf seemed to enjoy that very much, soft sounds spilling unbidden from his pretty mouth as Dean let his teeth scrape over the tender spot one last time before bringing his mouth lower and settling between Cas’s thighs. 

Cas’s breathing grew audibly heavier as Dean mouthed along the side of his cock, gasping when he lapped up his precome and sucked gently at the head. 

“I- I don’t- what are you doing?” Castiel stammered. 

“Does it feel good?” Dean let the breath of his words ghost over Castiel’s sensitive cock. 

_ “Yes,”  _ Cas panted emphatically. “But this isn’t… this isn’t sex.” 

“Says who?” Dean asked calmly, licking slowly from the base of his cock to the the head and taking him into his mouth, sinking down about halfway before pulling back off of him. “Feels like sex to me.” He ran his palm up the outside of Castiel’s thigh, squeezing lightly as he kissed the sensitive insides of his thighs. “Do you want my mouth, Cas?”  

The elf’s head bobbed up and down hurriedly. 

Dean grinned and took Cas into his mouth again, relaxing his jaw as he sunk down around him in a loose glide, letting saliva pool in his mouth and slick Cas up.

“O- _ Ohh,”  _ Cas moaned, hooking his legs around Dean’s shoulders but unsure what to do with his hands, tangling them in his own hair as he tipped his head back, neck elongating into a sensual curve as his chest heaved. 

Dean’s cheeks hollowed out as he sucked harder, tightening around Cas more intimately. He breathed out a pleasured little sigh through his nose as he swallowed Cas down, tongue working over his shaft. His elf was so soft and warm on his tongue, slightly salty, his precome a tang that hit the back of Dean’s tongue as he swallowed it down with enthusiasm. 

He coaxed the first orgasm out of his elf quickly, cock pulsating in his mouth as he swallowed down his sweet come, more beautiful sounds spilling out of Cas as his ribs shuddered, expanding hard with his harsh breaths. 

He knew Cas could keep going so he kept his mouth screwed down around Cas and continued to suck him. His thighs trembled around Dean’s shoulders, eyebrows pinching and mouth hanging open in a silent scream, fingers so tight in his own hair Dean was a little afraid he might rip it out. 

Dean couldn’t help the moan that rumbled through him at the sight, another spurt of come spilling down his throat as Cas cried out with his second orgasm. 

“D-Dean, I can’t- it’s too- it’s too much,” Cas stuttered out, every muscle in his body pulling taut as his cock stiffened in Dean’s mouth again. A sob of pleasure tore out of him as Dean sucked at the head of his cock again, dipping his tongue into the slit. 

He ran his hand soothingly up Cas’s chest as he started his slow descent again, bobbing up and down his shaft in a loose slide. Dean was caught by surprise when Cas suddenly grabbed his hand, tangling Dean’s pale fingers with his own tanned ones. He gave Cas’s hand a squeeze, pressing their palms together.

Cas  _ screamed _ as his cock pulsated in Dean’s mouth for a third time, throwing his head back violently as his entire body shuddered through his orgasm, back arching up off the ground. Dean finally released Cas’s cock as it started to soften, pressing a soft kiss to his stomach before crawling back up and gathering his elf up into his arms, tipping them both on their sides. He was completely boneless for a few minutes before nuzzling into Dean’s neck, trailing lazy kisses along his throat and below his jaw. 

“I really love your mouth,” Cas told him softly, playful smile on his lips as he kissed Dean’s chin before pressing his mouth to Dean’s with reverence. 

His heart tripped inside of his chest as he heard the word ‘love’. He had tried to convince himself that all the ‘I’m yours, please be mine’ was just the heat talking. But he knew that was bullshit. Because Dean wasn’t in heat and at some point he had started referring to the elf as ‘his’ inside his head. Well, and because Cas was having this whole heat in the first place because he wanted Dean. 

He shouldn’t’ve indulged him, let them have this. He knew he shouldn’t have. Still, he just couldn’t bring himself to taint this with regret. He  _ didn’t _ regret it. Dean wanted Cas just as much as Cas apparently wanted him. But he just…  _ couldn’t _ let him take that final step, let Cas brand him with his mating mark. Because no matter how much Dean might want it he  _ couldn’t _ be Castiel’s. 

Even if there wasn’t the whole mess that his quest was, even if there was no princess, it just wouldn’t work. He had a kingdom he was supposed to run someday. His father would probably live another thousand years just to keep him from the throne if he found out he had let himself be mated by a creature that wasn’t human. He’d hunt Cas down and kill him. 

His father thought of every creature that wasn’t human as something tainted and unholy, a monster. Dean and Sam had both been raised to believe that, to hate blindly because their mother had been killed by something inhuman. The brother’s had quickly realized how deluded their father’s ideas were the first time they had run away.  

The creature’s in the forest had seen two young boys pretending to be wild things and more often than not would let the boys follow them around, play with their children and sleep in their homes. Don’t get him wrong, Dean had a few scars from the unfriendly creatures dwelling in the forests him and his brother escaped to. But he found that the creatures seemed to be just as bad as human’s could be. 

They were just people. 

Some were shitty and murderous, most were just looking out for themselves and their own.  

He looked down at the elf in his arms, content smile resting easily on his face as he played with Dean’s fingers in the hollow between their bodies. He held Dean’s hand so delicately in his roughened fingers. Those hands could snap his neck if he wanted to, break each one of the fingers he was touching so gingerly. Castiel was not a monster. But that’s all his father would see if he ever laid eyes on him. 

A small voice in the back of his head asked Dean if he even  _ wanted _ be a king. He enjoyed going on adventures, seeing new places on his search for some strange object far more than he enjoyed having all those people looking up to him, asking him for orders. He felt trapped every time he thought about it, about taking the throne, the urge to run away thrumming strong in his veins. He had to remind himself that if he didn’t, Sam would have to. He didn’t have a choice in this. 

“What’s wrong?” 

He was pulled from his thoughts to find Cas watching him with concern, propped up an elbow so he could see Dean more clearly. 

“Did I do something wrong?” 

“What? No, no. I… I just…” Dean sighed and tipped his head forward to rest against Cas’s chest, fingers tripping over the elf’s ribs, feeling the dips and rivets in his smooth skin made by bone and muscle. “I was just thinking.” 

Cas rolled Dean onto his back, falling with him and hooking a warm thigh over Dean’s, all that welcoming skin pressed tightly to Dean’s side, exposed and filthy, dried semen on the both of them and plenty of dirt sticking to their sweat slicked skin. He settled his cheek on Dean’s shoulder, watching him with a slight furrow in his brows and a curiosity lit up in that dark blue. 

“What were you thinking about?” 

“I don’t think you really wanna know, little elf,” Dean replied, thumb running up the tip of a pointy ear and watching it pink under his touch and attention. 

“Yes I would like to know,  _ little human,”  _ Cas retorted with a smug grin, apparently thinking he really got Dean good with that one. 

Dean laughed softly as his fingers sifted through Cas’s dark nest of hair. The smile slowly dropped off his face as he watched the elf. “I was just thinking that I don’t want anyone to hurt you. Some people, some  _ humans,  _ would try to kill you if… if they knew.”

“If they knew what?” 

“What you mean to me. That we had sex. That we do this.” He gestured to their entangled limbs. 

Cas’s brows lowered into something angrier, the hand that was moving aimlessly across his ribs grasped at his skin possessively. “I would not let any of those humans hurt me, or you. It is none of their business what we do.” 

“You can’t protect me from everything, little elf,” Dean told him softly, playing with his hair again. 

“Yes I can,” Castiel insisted stubbornly, wrapping an arm tight around him as he watched Dean with narrowed eyes that were suspiciously shiny. 

It was so strange to him the intense pull he felt towards the man in his arms. He didn’t know what to call it, he was frightened to put a name to it. He felt like he was a part of Castiel’s orbit, pulling away only to be yanked right back in. He wanted to protect the fierce creature in his arms, wanted to hold him close and just stay like that, like this. 

Dean had fucked around a lot but these feelings were all new to him. This bone deep feeling that gripped him tight and told him not to let this go, that you don’t stumble into this. He needed Cas. He didn’t just want him, he needed him. And he wasn’t sure what to make of that. 

“Cas…” Dean filled his lungs up with air, intent on saying…  _ something. Anything.  _ But no words came. 

Castiel lifted his head to kiss the corner of Dean’s mouth softly, lips lingering a few seconds before he rested his forehead against Dean’s, fingers working through the hair at the nape of his neck. “Even if you are not mine, I will always be yours.”

Dean’s eyes fluttered shut, brow pinching and throat feeling tight. “Please stop saying that.” 

“It’s the truth.”

“I know.” He squeezed his eyes shut tightly to keep any tears from spilling out. He trailed fingertips down the side of Cas’s face, before bringing his palm to the elf’s cheek, thumb sweeping back and forth across the top of his cheekbone. “I can’t. I can’t be yours, Cas. Even if I wanted to be.”

An angry huff of air pushed out of the elf’s nose, his hand moving firmly up Dean’s chest.  _ “Why?”  _ He practically growled. 

“You know why.” 

“Don’t. Don’t marry her.” Cas’s voice broke and Dean’s heart ached, about to shatter. 

Dean knew he couldn’t say anything truthful that would make it all better so he brought his mouth to Cas’s with a desperate kiss. Cas surged into the kiss, tongue possessive and claiming as it swept into Dean’s mouth, fingers tight in his hair. 

He swung his leg over Dean’s hip, straddling him and reaching behind himself stroke Dean’s cock as they abused each other’s lips with tongues and teeth. Castiel speared himself open on Dean’s cock, engulfing him immediately in all that tight, wet, heat. 

Dean’s fingers dug into Cas’s shoulders and scraped down his back as he held him close, the elf’s cock trapped between their stomachs. He rode Dean furiously, Dean’s hips slapping into him as he planted his feet and thrust deep inside him with his own movements. 

It was frantic and messy, the both of them utterly lost, clinging to each other and praying to find answers in the other’s flesh, in the warm cavern of a panting mouth or calloused hands grasping at cheeks and hair. 

A guttural moan rumbled through Cas’s chest, reverberating off his own, tingling against his lips. Dean’s eyelids fluttered, a gasp parting his lips as Cas mouthed wetly down his cheek, sucking at his pulse point before biting into Dean’s neck with much more force than either of them had been using. It wasn’t enough to break the skin but it was enough to hurt. 

He rolled them so that Castiel was beneath him, another pleased sound spilling out of him and heavily lidded eyes widening briefly with their abrupt change in position. He wrapped his legs around Dean’s hips, nails dragging down his back as Dean thrust into him roughly. They couldn’t really kiss with their violent movements, just panting harshly into the other’s mouth, lips brushing. 

Hoarse little sounds punched out of Cas with each slam of Dean’s hips, these beautiful sounds that sent shivers down his spine. Cas grunted, gritting his teeth and stiffening around Dean, blunt nails digging so hard into his shoulder blades that they drew blood. 

Dean rasped out a groan, burying himself balls deep in Cas and curling into him as his orgasm crashed through him. 

The only sound for a while was their heavy breathing. Dean finally pulled out of Cas, simply curling up against the elf’s chest and throwing his leg over a thick thigh instead of flopping onto his back. Castiel held him, hands moving tenderly over the marks he’d made on his back. 

He shut eyes, and he pretended. He pretended that instead of laying on a forest floor they were in a home, maybe someplace near a river, with ever changing trees right outside the door. He pretended that Cas was his. Pretended that he wasn’t a Prince, and that no one expected a thing from him. 

He shut his eyes and pretended that he could run away. 


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~~~~~~ = POV change
> 
> Warning for gore and violence.

The inferno in the elf’s veins had cooled, no more hormones setting him on fire, just Dean. Castiel had a feeling that the human was aware he was no longer in heat, but neither of them could bring themselves to voice that, to say out loud that they didn’t  _ need _ to lay like this anymore, content and vulnerable in each other’s arms. 

Castiel knew that he couldn’t hide anything behind the expressive blue of his eyes, he knew that Dean could read every thought that flitted through his mind, every feeling that fluttered behind his ribcage. He’d told him as much, when he was buried deep inside Castiel, sliding in and out of him slowly, like they weren’t desperate for each other, like there would be a next time. He’d told Castiel that he was beautiful, told him he loved the sounds he’d made, loved that he didn’t try to stifle anything. Then he kissed Castiel, so lightly, just a brush of lips against his own. That innocent kiss had felt overwhelming and Castiel found his vision blurred with tears. He’d held Dean close to his chest as they moved together, found himself gasping his human’s name as pleasure burned slow throughout his body. Light had started to fill the corners of his eyes then and he’d barely stopped himself from branding Dean with it. 

Now his rough hands roamed gently over Dean’s ribs, thumb tracing lightly over the V of his hips, cupping his sated cock briefly before his touch moved on. 

“Talk to me,” Castiel implored in his gentle rumble, voice hoarse. “I wanna hear your voice.”

Dean’s arm tightened just slightly around Castiel’s shoulders as he breathed out a huff of laughter. “What do you want me to talk about?” 

“Anything.” Castiel’s fingertips found his human’s jaw, pulling lightly at his skin. His own cheek was smooshed into Dean’s chest, legs entwined and back exposed. Dean’s middle finger and index traced the scars on his back in a repetitive motion as he thought. Dean hadn’t asked him about the scars, but he kept touching them, so gently that Castiel felt his eyelids flutter, wanting to close each time he did, a sigh escaping him. They weren’t large, and they weren’t hideous, just thin white lines, only a few of them. 

Dean finally seemed to think of something he felt comfortable talking about, he told Castiel a story. Castiel found himself drifting in and out of focus, the only constant was the deep richness of his human’s voice, wrapping around him and seeping under his ribs like a tangible thing. He could feel his words vibrating beneath his cheek, leaving him with each rise and fall of his chest. 

Castiel thought that this was probably as close to bliss as he was ever going to get. He did not have a peaceful existence, nor was he meant to have one. He was a warrior, though not as fierce of one as he should have been. They didn’t send Castiel out to fight to defend their land, or rescue their stolen ones. He did the mundane tasks, the things that were necessary and the things no one else wanted to do. He often blew off his tasks in favor of exploring, pushing past the boundaries he was told to stay within. Because of that he knew more about this forest than probably any other elf in his tribe, at least any other elf his age. 

He had a quiet existence, for the most part. Castiel enjoyed simply watching the ongoings of his fellow creatures, he didn’t want to fight them, usually. Didn’t even want to interact really.

Which was why his reaction to the human had been so strange to Castiel. He didn’t follow creatures, he certainly didn’t  _ save _ them and then  _ continue _ to follow them when he really should’ve turned back. He didn’t interact unless he had to. With Dean it hadn’t been about necessity, he had  _ wanted _ to interact with the then strange creature. Castiel did not want many things. 

Perhaps too late he had realized that it ran deeper than that. His attraction and draw to the human went deeper than want. He gave his heart to the human, knowing he would break it, knowing he had to. Castiel had given it to him anyway, because he was in love with him. 

It wasn’t something Castiel had ever felt before but he didn’t have to to know that he loved Dean. Feelings were not complex, their consequences were. 

This wasn’t how their story was supposed to be written. Castiel had walked himself into Dean’s story and wrenched everything off course, fumbled the plot. He still wasn’t sure of their ending. Perhaps it was naive to be hopeful, naive to place his heart in someone else’s hands. Naive or not, Castiel wanted to believe in his human. He wanted to believe that his human loved him too. 

Castiel found his eyes drooping during the climax of Dean’s story, though Dean didn’t seem to mind. He kept talking until the elf’s breathing had slowed and he was drooling on his human’s chest.    
  


~~~<><><>~~~   
  


It was righteously  _ weird  _ to walk beside the person he had spent the last few days fucking nonstop, only breaking for food and water occasionally, much less than they probably should’ve. It was weird being clothed again, it was weird not having Castiel plastered to his side, it was weird that he felt an ache between his legs, and it was weird that more than anything he just wanted to be filled again. He felt so  _ empty.  _

Castiel of course, didn’t seem to be at all affected. He didn’t treat Dean any differently, he didn’t bring up mates again, or wanting Dean to be his, though they both knew he hadn’t changed his mind about that. They just walked, and they walked, and they walked. 

And then they hit a swamp. A huge, fugly green thing, that gurgled and bubbled. It stunk too, the scent hanging heavy in the damp air, almost enough to make Dean gag. 

Castiel hesitated at the edge, bare toes not moving off of the crisp green grass just yet. 

“Maybe we should try to go around it,” Dean offered, scrunching his nose in disgust as he tried to see beneath the murky surface of the swamp. 

“I don’t think anything dangerous lies beneath the surface,” Castiel told him, though his nose was scrunched, rather adorably, in disgust. “It is just repugnant. Water goblins bathe in these.” A darker look crossed his face at the mention of water goblins, surely remembering that hideous one that almost killed Dean.

Dean sighed and looked once more at the swamp, unable to keep the small whine from groaning in the back of his throat. “Alright, come on, let’s do this.”

Dean bent forward slightly, planting his hands on his knees and the elf gave him a quizzical look, head cocking to the side. “What are you positioning yourself for?”

He fought the blush on his cheeks as he rolled his eyes. “You’re not wearing shoes, Cas, you’re gonna step on something horrible and disgusting, just get on my back.”

Castiel looked from the swamp, to his feet, to Dean, narrowing his eyes. “I don’t need you to carry me, Dean. I am not weak, or unable to walk by myself.” 

“Dude, can you get off your high horse and just get on my back? Trust me, you’re gonna get a slug smooshed between your toes and you’re never gonna be able to feel anything else again. Now stop being a baby, come on.” 

“I am not an infant,” Cas retorted, planting his hands stubbornly on his hips before taking a determined step into the swamp. 

Dean just folded his arms across his chest with a raised eyebrow as he watched Cas try to school his expressions and keep himself from shuddering. “How’s the water? Nice and warm? Can you feel the fish nibbling at your toes yet?” 

Castiel’s eyes widened at the mention of fish, his right leg twitching slightly like he was trying to get away from something while simultaneously remaining still as a statue. Finally Castiel’s somewhat stoic expression crumbled into the panicked face of a five year old who finds a spider under their pillow. A high whine that Dean never would’ve believed the elf could make burst out of him as he flapped his hands and brought his knees up as he could as he splashed his way out of the swamp. 

He immediately flopped down on his butt in the grass and started to wipe his feet off frantically. 

Dean tipped his head back as he laughed raucously at the elf’s ridiculous antics. Cas shot him a glare that at any other time would have sent shivers down his spine. However, he still had the image of the elf squealing like a little kid as he stumbled and splashed his way out of a swamp. 

As his laughter wheezed to a stop, wide smile still pulling at his lips, he found Cas smiling begrudgingly as well. 

“So, whaddaya say, gorgeous? Wanna take a ride on the swamp donkey?” He bent over with his hands on his knees again, tossing a cheeky wink at Cas, who blushed before rolling his eyes. 

“Please never refer to yourself as ‘swamp donkey’ again,” Cas begged, teasing glint in his eye as he climbed onto Dean’s back, wrapping his arms and legs so tightly around him that Dean wondered if it was possible to be squeezed so tightly that two became one. 

“Hold on a little tighter, Cas,” Dean grumbled sarcastically. “I think you’re close to crushing my spine and ribs simultaneously.”

Cas loosened his grip slightly, so at least Dean could breath. “Sorry.”

“Hey, would ya look at that?” Dean teased as he stepped into the swamp, trying to distract himself from the way the muddy water was leaking into his boots. “I think when we first met you would’ve just squeezed me tighter. You’re learning to read sarcasm. I don’t think I’ve ever been so proud.”

“I am proud of you as well, Dean. Although you have not done anything I asked of you, even though I told you very specifically that I would only accompany you on this quest if you deferred to my better judgement before doing something idiotic.”

Dean laughed and readjusted his hold on Cas’s thighs, elbows hooked under his knees. “Well you haven’t ditched me yet.”

Cas’s arms tightened ever so slightly around his chest, a warm puff of air ruffling his hair as Cas sighed. “I wouldn’t ditch you, no matter how many times you do the opposite of what I ask of you.” 

The humid air felt too heavy then, the weight of Castiel’s words not lost on either of them. Dean’s voice was too soft as he said, “I know you wouldn’t, Cas.” He probably should. No, he  _ really _ should. But he wouldn’t. 

The elf’s thumb moved almost absentmindedly over his heart, although Dean knew everything about the small motion was intentional, meant to be a comfort. He breathed a little easier with that small touch, melting into it. He had grown so reliant on the physical closeness they had shared during Cas’s heat. He hadn’t realized that he already missed it, and it hadn’t even been a day. 

He wanted to promise Cas that he wouldn’t ditch him either, wouldn’t leave his side  _ ever. _ But he just couldn’t lie, not to Cas. And he wasn’t gonna make promises he couldn’t keep. 

He didn’t say it in so many words but he placed his hand over Cas’s briefly, pressing it into his heart before readjusting his grip on Cas’s legs once more. He was pretty sure the elf understood his sentiment. 

He climbed out of the swamp, boots heavy with the filthy water and algae sticking to his pants. Cas hopped off of him, smirking a little as his eyes flicked over Dean. He dumped his boots out onto the grass, yelping when a few worms fell out.  _ Ugh. _

He repressed a shudder as he shoved his feet back into his boots, glaring at the sniggering elf as he did. 

“Thank you for keeping me dry at your own expense, swamp donkey,” Castiel said, looking to the rest of the world to be completely sincere with his innocent wide eyes. Dean had started to figure out when Cas was being a sarcastic little shit though. 

He snatched up a discarded worm and flung it at the elf, snickering with satisfaction as it caught in his hair. The laughter died quickly though since Cas didn’t seem the least bit disturbed by the slimy creature in his hair, plucking it between two fingers and letting it lay out on his palm. He watched it with a curious expression for a few moments, small smile on his face before he set it down gently in the mud.

“You’re no fun,” Dean scoffed, stomping off into the forest. 

Cas jogged to catch up with him, looking amused but not commenting on Dean’s exclamation.

They walked for about an hour without incident. 

Then the branches started to crumble as they walked, bleaching themselves bone white, now just enormous ragged sticks jutting out of the earth. For the first time since Dean had seen them, the trees looked dead. 

The sight was more unnerving than it had any right to be, something about it was unsettling all the way to his core. 

There was no soft breeze, or chipper wind whipping through the trees and rustling their clothing. There was just complete, utter, stillness. No heat to the air, it was tepid, the sun hidden behind a thick blanket of grey. 

Dean’s feet slowed to a stop beneath him, eyes narrowed as he looked around them. Cas stopped beside him, looking around him with the same intensity that Dean was. But Dean didn’t see anything. Just dead air. 

“Cas… what is this?” 

“I don’t know. I’ve never ventured this deep into the forest. This may simply be how it is.” Castiel didn’t seem to believe that and neither did Dean. Something was wrong here. Deeply. Wrong.

Castiel seized up beside him suddenly, eyes widening as his entire body quivered, but unable to move more than that. 

“Cas?!” Panic was lacing his voice and he could do nothing to stop it as his hands flew to the elf’s shoulders, shaking him slightly but finding him immobile, the only things that seemed to be able to move freely were his eyes. “What’s happening?” 

The elf’s head shook the smallest bit, more a twitch than a shake. His eyes were wide with fear, pleading with Dean though Dean didn’t know what he was pleading for. 

_ “Run.”  _ Castiel was barely able to get the word past his gritted teeth, his entire body vibrating with the effort. 

Dean barely had time to register the word before he was flung against a tree, all the air punched out of his lungs and his spine rattling with the force that he had been slammed into the bone white trunk with. His vision spotted for a second, clearing as Dean rose shakily to his feet, yanking his sword out of its sheath and looking for their attacker. 

He didn’t have to search for long as fiery red hair came bouncing into his line of his sight, a cruel smirk attached. He knew this woman, though he couldn’t place exactly where from immediately. She strode confidently towards him, hands tucked behind her back. 

“You have no  _ idea  _ how happy I am to see you two again. Do you know just how many people are looking for you two morons?” A delighted laugh tumbled past her lips, eyes lighting up with something that sent a shudder down Dean’s bruised spine. And that was how he recognized her, that laugh. She had been at Crowley’s ‘dinner party’. Abaddon. 

She continued to stride closer, veering towards Cas. Dean charged her, only to be flung back into a tree again, sinking to a slump on the forest floor as his vision swam. 

She ran the tip of a sharpened nail under Castiel’s chin, her smile widening as Cas glared at her with all the force he could muster. “I wonder how much it will pain you to watch me take apart your human, piece, by hunky piece. I’m sure you’ll look on in horror, vowing to kill me the second you get the chance. But you won’t. Because you’re  _ useless _ against me.” Another laugh spilled out of her and she pulled at the point of Castiel’s ear. “All that magic running through your veins, elf, it’s your weakness. All that light you creatures think you carry, think it puts you up on some sort of pedestal. Well guess what I found? I found this neat little spell to bind you. And the only reason I can’t use it on the human is because he’s about as magical as a rock, probably about as bright as one too,” she sneered. 

Abaddon grunted and threw her hand out to slam Dean back into the trunk of the tree as he tried to stand again.

“You just don’t learn do you, Princess?” Abaddon refocused her attention on Castiel again, pulling at Castiel’s ear until his face twitched with pain. “I think I’ll start by gouging out those pretty little green eyes of his, what do you think? Any preferences?” She looked into Castiel’s eyes, past the glare and the intense hatred. She saw his fear and she smiled. “Don’t worry I’ll put them back in, good as new… basically. After all I do need to sell you two. Can’t damage the merchandise too much.” 

Dean finally caught his breath, swallowing the blood in his mouth. He didn’t care how many times he was going to be thrown into this tree, Dean Winchester did not give up. Ever. He wasn’t quite sure why he did it, but he wrapped a shaky hand around the small amulet his brother had given him, feeling a pulse of…  _ something,  _ he couldn’t tell you what, warmth spread over him, pulsing once behind his rib cage before sinking into his bones.

Determined to do everything within his power to keep this bitch away from his- his Cas, he got shakily to his feet, white knuckled grip around the hilt of his sword. 

This time when she threw her hand out to slam him back into the tree, he only skidded back in the dirt a few feet, remaining standing. They both met each other’s eyes with a look of surprise before Abaddon’s widened slightly in fear, and Dean smiled. 

She didn’t run though, she wasn’t a coward. Or maybe she was just cocky. 

Dean strode forward, flipping his sword once before taking a swing at her head. She threw her hand out to block it, a surprised cry of pain escaping her throat as his blade sliced half of her hand clean off, giving her just enough time to duck out of the way of his sword. She retreated with a fierce scowl, gritting her teeth through the pain as she grabbed a dagger out of her boot, twirling it on her fingers, wicked smile on her face. 

“I guess this is gonna be a little more fun than I thought it would be,” she noted. 

Dean was impressed by her incredibly high threshold for pain. He took another jab at her and she ducked and rolled, slicing his thigh. He hissed in pain, but the wound wasn’t deep and he could still move around without it hurting too much. He landed the next blow, sticking her in the side and used the moment of distraction to kick out her legs, holding her chest down with a boot and keeping her still with his blade at her throat, sharp point drawing a dot of blood as she swallowed. 

“Release whatever spell you put on Cas  _ now,”  _ he growled. 

Even with a blade at her throat she still managed to laugh that horrible laugh. “What’s the  _ point, _ Princess? I’ve been watching you two you know, from afar.” She grinned, her dark eyes glittering with knowledge. “If you let me sell to you the highest bidder, at least you’ll be  _ together.  _ That’s more than you get if you carry on with this moronic  _ quest.” _

He stomped her chest, not enough to kill her but enough to punch the air out of her lungs and throw her into a horrible wheezing, coughing fit. “I said  _ now.”  _

All pretense at niceties flew out the window then as she glowered, breathing raggedly through her bared teeth. “I think I’ll just leave him like that actually. Killing me will just ensure that he remains that way forever. Frozen. He’ll starve to death, piss himself, it will be disgusting. And you’ll have to leave him, have to carry on.” She had a deranged look in her eye as she laughed again, head thrown back into the dirt. 

Dean swung his sword down with an angry shout, chopping her arm off at the shoulder. 

Abaddon howled with pain, shaking and sweat covering her brow as she ground her teeth and looked away from her dismembered limb. Dean pushed against her jaw with the flat of his blade, forcing her to look at him. 

“Then I won’t kill you,” he told her, voice soft and dangerous, a small smile on his face as he saw the fear bleeding past her bravado. “I’ll cut off your arms, and then maybe your legs too. You’ll piss yourself, probably shit yourself too, it will be disgusting. But I won’t leave you here to starve. I’ll make sure you survive, I’ll dress your wounds myself if I have to. And then I’ll deliver you to Crowley like that. I’m sure he could find something fun to do with you. You guys are friends, right?” 

Her breathing became violent, every breath a hoarse sound of anger. “If I release him, you’ll let me go?”

Dean’s smile widened and he tapped the flat of his sword against her cheek. “Let’s find out together.” 

His teeth were vibrating in his skull with how tight he was clenching his jaw, hatred boiling in his veins. He  _ hated _ this woman with every fiber of his being. He was consumed with it. He didn’t care if she had friends or family, if anyone would miss her. She wanted to hurt Cas.  _ His  _ Cas. 

Her dark eyes were filled with the same hatred, unwavering from Dean’s as she raised her shaky hand, making a swift motion and then Cas fell to his knees. For a second Dean thought it hadn’t worked, but he met Castiel’s eyes and saw the relief there. He wasted no time plunging his sword into her heart. 

She didn’t look surprised, hatred the last thing to burn behind her eyes as she choked on her own blood. Dean ripped his sword out of her and didn’t bother wiping the blood off of his blade before re-sheathing it. 

He ran back to Cas, dropping to his knees in front of him and taking his head in his hands. “Are you okay?” 

Cas’s eyes flicked over to Abaddon’s body before they found his, nodding quickly as he grasped Dean’s forearms. “I’m- I’m okay. You…” 

Dean immediately felt shame, a horrible, clammy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Without the hatred raging hot in his veins he felt the full brunt of what he’d done. He didn’t like killing things but… he’d liked killing her. He felt sick, dirty. He felt like a monster. “She was going to kill you. She… she was going to kill you.” 

Castiel looked slightly confused by Dean’s manic energy for a moment. “I know. You did what you had to, Dean.”

Dean felt overwhelmed, unable to catch his breath as it came out in huffs through his nostrils, teeth still gritted so tightly his jaw was aching. He’d almost lost Cas, really almost lost him. He could’ve died. “She was going to kill you.”

He gathered Cas into his arms abruptly, tears leaking down his face. The elf took a few moments to get with the program, finally wrapping his arms tightly around Dean and burying his face in his neck. Somehow their positions changed and Dean was the one crying silently into Castiel’s chest as he hushed him, holding him close and smoothing fingers down the back of his head, rubbing his shoulder, everywhere he could reach. 

“It’s okay, Dean. It’s okay.”

No it  _ wasn’t.  _ Dean needed Cas, he needed him. And Cas had almost left him. “I need you,” he croaked, voice barely rising above a whisper. He wanted to take it back as soon as the words were out of his mouth. It didn’t matter that it was true, he didn’t get to ask that of Cas, to put that on him. 

When Cas spoke again, his own voice was heavy with sorrow. “You have me. I’m right here. I’m right here, Dean.” 


	16. Chapter 16

Castiel didn’t think about it as he soothed his human with soft kisses pressed into his hair and his forehead, anywhere his lips would reach. He held the large man as best as he could against his chest. Dean was so quiet, not saying a word, just shaking in his arms, face buried in Castiel’s chest.

He just wanted his ma- he stopped that thought dead in it’s tracks. He just wanted _Dean_ to feel better, wanted to sooth his pain.

“Sorry,” Dean murmured, voice hoarse with disuse. He pulled away from Castiel, tucking his knees up against his chest as he wiped at his eyes. He kept his head down, unable to look at Castiel. “That’s fuckin’ embarrassing. Sorry, you shouldn’t have to…” He sighed. “Sorry.”

Castiel could feel his brow furrowing. He sighed, realizing there wasn’t anything he could say to make his human feel better, to make him realize he had nothing to apologize for or be embarrassed about. He scooted closer to Dean on his knees, closing the distance between them again as he took Dean’s head carefully in his hands.

“You have blood on your cheeks,” Castiel explained. The pad of his thumb swiped over the spats of blood on Dean’s cheek, wiping away what was left of his tears as well. He could feel the weight of Dean’s gaze on him, looking up to find the deep green swimming again, rimmed with red. “I won’t go anywhere unless you ask me to,” Castiel promised quietly, staring intently at the rust colored stain that wouldn’t come off of Dean’s freckled cheek.

Dean’s long fingers wrapped around his wrist, stopping the movement of his hand. Castiel’s gaze fell to Dean’s again with a questioning look, unable to help the way his eyes flicked briefly down to the lips Dean had been biting at. His jade eyes were were wide, filled with questions and more apologies and a thousand other things that Castiel couldn’t put a name too.

“Oh, Dean,” Castiel sighed, thumb moving smoothly across his cheekbone.

He didn’t think about it as he leaned forward to press his mouth to Dean’s with a gentle kiss. Soft hair that needed a wash tangled between his fingers as he scratched lightly at his human's scalp. His lips parted around Dean’s plush mouth, catching Dean’s bottom lip and feeling the rest of the world reduced to this single point of connection. The only sounds in the air were the soft smacks of their lips and the little breaths they managed to catch between them.

They were so lost in the feeling of each other that they didn’t notice the quiet pitter patter of tiny footsteps approaching, nor did they hear the whispering.

Dean was comfortably straddling Castiel’s thighs, arms wrapped high and tight around his shoulders as their kisses bled together.

They didn’t notice they had company until Castiel felt a polite tap on his shoulder with fingers that were much too small to belong to his human. He startled apart from Dean, though his hands tightened on the human’s hip and in his hair. A whine escaped Dean at the loss, stopping abruptly as his eyes landed behind Castiel and then he was scrambling off of Castiel’s lap and standing. Castiel already missed the warmth in his lap, taking an immediate dislike to the harmless tree elves that had disrupted them.

He got to his feet slower than Dean, brushing the dirt off his behind and glowering at the three foot creature before him.

 _“What?”_ Castiel groused.

The small elf that had tapped his shoulder looked immediately nervous, fiddling with his hands. “Well… we happened upon you and your…” The small elf trailed off when Castiel narrowed his eyes, glare intensifying. “Lover?”

He didn’t need to look over his shoulder to know the human was blushing, but Castiel shrugged at the elf, the term seemed to fit well enough.

“We stumbled upon you and your _lover,”_ the elf smiled at Castiel as he used the approved term. “And you looked an awful lot like the same people we’ve been seeing posters all over the forest for. Are you the elf Castiel? Your tribe is looking for you.”

Castiel felt dread sinking into the pit of his stomach. They were not looking for him because they were worried, or they wanted him back. If that were the case they would’ve sent their own to find him, not put up Wanted posters. They only wanted him back for one last thing. To banish him for good. Castiel barely repressed a shudder thinking about everything that would entail.

He snatched the front of the small elf’s tunic in a fist, crouching to meet him face to face. “You will not tell anyone that you saw me, _or_ my lover, do you understand?” Castiel snarled.

“Cas!” Dean chastened, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “He’s _trembling._ Let him go.”

Castiel released the the elf’s tunic but didn’t lighten his glare as he rose to his full height.

“I-I-I won’t,” the small elf stuttered, raising trembling hands in the air. “I promise I won’t tell a soul. We-we were just curious.” He turned his round eyes to Dean then. “A-are you the Prince?”

From behind the white trunks that were slowly regaining their color, this time a buttery yellow, four other tree elves emerged, huddled close and whispering amongst each other as they looked between Dean and Castiel.

“Um, yeah, I am. Why?” Dean fidgeted slightly under the wide eyed gaze of the huddle of tree elves, folding his arms over his chest and looking uncomfortable.

The elf that had spoken to Castiel approached Dean slowly, shooting wary glances Castiel’s way. “You are a _human?”_ His voice was hushed, awed as he spoke, coming nearer and nearer with his hands outspread like he wanted to touch.

“Uh… yeah.” The best way to describe Dean’s expression as the small elf approached would be ‘weirded out’.

A growl tore out of Castiel’s throat as the small elf reached out to touch Dean’s thigh with an index finger. He immediately snatched his hand back, looking nervously at Castiel.

“I’m sorry,” He apologized quickly. “I would never touch a fellow elf’s mate with nefarious thoughts, I hope you know that. I’ve just…” His gaze returned to Dean, that awed look returning to his features. “Never met a human. You are very beautiful, Prince.”

Dean cut off Castiel’s growl, smirk on his face as he held up a hand. “W-w-wait. _Fellow elf?_ You’re an elf?” He asked the small creature, grin growing wider by the second.

The _tree_ elf nodded eagerly, looking thrilled that Dean had addressed him personally.

“Wait, so does this make him like, your cousin or something?” Dean asked Castiel, look of pure glee on his face. “‘Cause _he_ is what I expected an elf to look like. Not like…” His gaze roamed over Castiel and the elf felt a bit smug as Dean’s eyes lost their focus, pulling his bottom lip into his mouth subconsciously. “You know… _not_ six feet of lean muscle and sex hair.”

Castiel raised an eyebrow and watched Dean’s cheeks heat.

“Yes!” The small elf piped up, breaking the heated staring match they had fallen into. “We are definitely like cousins.” He smiled brightly at Castiel and Castiel felt his glare darken.

“No we are _not._ I am a warrior and _you_ sit around in treetops all day playing matchmaker. We are _nothing_ alike.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” the small elf carried on, not seeming the least bit bothered by Castiel’s vehement assertion that they were not related and nothing alike. “We are very much like cousins. And love is a noble cause, _cousin._ Just because your species of elf is not able to comprehend it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have a purpose.”

He continued to smile pleasantly as Castiel fumed. “You know _nothing_ about me or my _species_ or what we are able to feel- comprehend. You know nothing about what we are able to comprehend,” Castiel corrected quickly, shooting a furtive glance at Dean to find him watching Castiel with a strange look.

“Yes, you are quite different, aren’t you?” The small elf mused, shrugging like it was all of no consequence either way. “I’ve never seen another elf of your particular species take a lover. And it must be even more rare for your kind to take one of the same gender, and a _human_ no less. That must be why they want you back home, I suppose… punishment.” The small elf gave Castiel a sad smile.

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Dean asked abruptly. “What punishment? They don’t know that I’m his-” Dean shut his eyes and huffed out an annoyed breath before muttering the word, _“lover.”_

The small elf’s wide eyes bounced between the two of them with a nervous expression. “Oh, you don’t know? _Everyone_ knows. So many people are looking for you two. Word has spread across the forest and through several kingdoms that Castiel the elf has taken Prince Dean as his mate. There are quite a few versions of the story, most I think are just overblown gossip. For instance, that you two attended a dinner party of Crowley’s, and Castiel, absolutely rabid with anger and jealously because so many people were staring at his Prince, mounted the Prince right there on the banquet table and took him as his mate with everyone watching on in horror.”

They both gaped at the small creature for a moment.

“That is _not_ what happened!” Castiel exclaimed, feeling himself flush all the way up to the tips of his ears as the small group of tree elves tittered at him. “I- he- he isn’t even my…”

“Wait,” Dean interrupted. “What do you mean ‘word’s spread through a few kingdoms’? _My_ kingdom? Does my-” Dean’s face blanched. “Are they looking for me? Did King John hear this story?”

The small creature’s brow furrowed, confused by Dean’s intensity as he nodded slowly.

 _“Fuck,”_ Dean breathed out, squeezing his eyes shut as he tugged at his hair. _“Fuck!”_ He shouted it this time, stomping his foot in the dirt and startling the small creatures around him.

Despite how poorly the human was taking this news, Castiel couldn’t help but feel a small spark of hope. Perhaps if his kingdom, and his father, already thought he had taken a mate they wouldn’t ask him to carry on his quest to find this princess and take her as his wife.

“Dean…” Castiel reached out tentatively, hand closing around his human’s shoulder. “Maybe this isn’t such a terrible thing.”

Dean’s hands dropped from his hair as he shook his head, looking half mad. “You don’t understand, Cas. If my father heard any version of some exaggerated story that ended with me letting myself be mated by something inhuman-” Castiel flinched at the human’s harsh tone. “He’s not just looking for me. He’s going to kill you, Cas. To him you’re just a monster.”

Castiel felt cold fear drip behind his sternum, hot anger battling it behind his ribs and leaving Castiel feeling choked. “I am not a monster,” Castiel snarled, searching Dean’s eyes with a bit of desperation. Dean didn’t think of him as a monster, did he?

“I know.” Some of the panic melted off of Dean’s face as he took in Castiel’s expression. He reached for Castiel’s hand, faltering and letting his hand fall back to his side at the last second, seeming to remember that they had an audience, his gaze darting over to the small group of elves watching them intently. “You’re not a monster, Cas. I’ve never thought that about you, not once, okay?”

Castiel didn’t care if his ‘cousins’ were staring, he closed the space between them with a small step, taking the human’s face between his hands. “I will not leave you unless you ask me to. That includes being killed. No one is going to hurt me, Dean, and no one will lay a _finger_ on you unless they want that digit to be torn off.”

Dean’s eyes watered as he shook his head slowly, reaching up so his knuckles grazed the elf’s cheek. “You don’t understand, Cas. My father, he- he’s powerful. He can kill anything.”

The anger was winning out against the fear, burning hot in his veins. He _didn’t_ understand. He didn’t understand why this King, Dean’s father, would want to kill him upon hearing that he had taken Dean as his mate. That should be a cause for celebration, not a cause for a hunt, or for banishment. He felt intense frustration as he saw the desperate fear in Dean’s eyes. It was ugly and it had no place on his human.

Dean didn’t deserve this, and neither did Castiel. It seemed to hit the elf all at once, like a sharp slap to the face. Castiel did not deserve to be hated by his tribe. He did not deserve to be hated for being curious, for being different. He did not deserve to be hated by Dean’s father because he had been born with pointed ears. And he did not deserve to be hated by _anyone_ for who he loved.

He was done moping and wishing to be different, to have different circumstances. This is what he had and this is who he was.

“Then tell me what I need to do.” Castiel was filled with determination. Ready to do anything he had to to wipe that fearful expression from his human’s face.

Dean’s eyes were unfocused over Castiel’s shoulder, expression locked up with horror before it crumbled, looking so _scared_ for one small moment before he was filled with grim determination, green eyes raising to meet Castiel’s. “You can’t do anything, Cas. The only way my father’s gonna quit looking for you is if I come home with the princess.” A broken smile cracked across Dean’s face as he nodded. “It’s gonna be okay, Cas. It’s all gonna be fine, I can fix this.”

Castiel’s heart sunk. He would rather Dean’s father kill him then watch _his_ human be with another against his will.

“And when I go back to my tribe?” Castiel asked with a deadened tone, all emotion knocked out him as he wrenched away from Dean, hands hanging limp at his sides. “What then, Dean? I will be killed either way.”

“No. You won’t- you can’t-” a shallow breath rattled out of Dean, who was visibly shaken by Castiel’s words. “You just won’t go back then. You’re smart Cas, you can survive on your own.”

“You would wish me to spend the rest of my existence alone, running from things that want my blood?”

Dean’s mouth opened before snapping shut. “It’s better than being dead, Cas.”

“No, it is not. There are things worse than death, _Prince_ Dean. Living my life without you is one of them.”

Dean’s expression hardened at his use of the prefix before breaking apart completely at his following words. “And I can’t live knowing that I killed you, Castiel,” he said softly, a few tears leaking from his eyes and tracking through the dirt and blood on his cheeks.

“Then _fight,_ Dean. Don’t just roll over and take the easiest path, the one that’s been paved for you. You are not a coward. Do not do this,” he begged, tears blurring his vision as he swallowed around the lump in his throat. He balled his hands into fists at his sides and willed himself not to cry.

 _“I am not going to be the reason for your death,”_ Dean vowed vehemently, jabbing an angry finger at the dirt.

“You are not hearing me!” Castiel roared in frustration, stepping closer to his human, looming over him even though Dean was slightly taller. “I would rather _die_ than spend the rest of my life without you. I would rather _die_ than watch you be with another against your will.”

“Why?!” Dean shouted back, flinging his arms out wide in an angry gesture. _“Why?_ I’m nothin’ special, Cas. I’m just some guy who happened to get caught in a trap because I’m an _idiot._ You- you’re _good._ You are just _good._ So why the _hell_ have you even stuck around this long? I’ve only caused you trouble. Hell, I don’t even do what you ask. I don’t listen to you when I really should. So _why?!”_

“Because I love you, you ass,” Castiel seethed.

That seemed to knock all the wind out of Dean’s sails, his shoulders slumping as he breathed heavily, round eyes fixed on Castiel in disbelief. “No, you don’t. You don’t even know what love is, Cas, you don’t-”

He balled up the front of Dean’s shirt in a fist, yanking him in so they were nose to nose as he growled out, “Don’t you _dare_ tell me how I feel or what I know. You can tell yourself whatever lies you want, but know that I love you, with the entirety of my being. _That_ is the truth, Dean.”

There was a small gasp and some whispering from the peanut gallery. Castiel tried to ignore his cousins.

“Cas…” Dean took in a shaky breath, hand moving up Castiel’s chest, settling over his heart. Then he pushed Castiel away, looking resigned. “I have to do this. You know I have to do this.”

Castiel did his very best to keep his emotions hidden behind a stoic mask, holding his shoulders high even though he wanted to curl up in a ball and sob. This was Dean asking him to leave. He would respect his wishes. “The tower is about a day’s walk that way.” He pointed east. “I’m sure my cousins can take you the rest of the way." He took one last moment, trying to memorize the green of his human's eyes, trying to remember exactly how his lips felt against his own, against his neck, _everywhere._  "Goodbye, Dean.”

He turned on his heel, disappearing into the trees without glancing back. This was the first time Castiel had walked away from Dean without the intention of turning back.


	17. Chapter 17

Dean wasn’t sure how long he remained standing in the same spot, unable to pick up his feet as Cas’s words echoed through his head. Particularly the I love you.

That was what had cemented his decision, hearing those words from Cas and knowing that he felt the same. It was a beautiful feeling, and it was something he couldn’t stand to see twisted and tainted by his father. He had to do this. He needed to protect Cas and this was the only way he saw Cas surviving. He’d tell his father whatever lies he needed to hear to appease him. He’d tell him he had already killed Castiel, that nothing had happened between them, that it was all exaggerated rumors. Whatever he needed to hear. 

Straightening his shoulders and blinking a few times he turned to find the tree elves all gathered around Abaddon’s body. He took a few steps closer and realized they were planting seeds around her body and inside her wounds. 

“What are you doing?” Dean asked, wincing slightly at the hoarseness of his own voice. “She’s evil. She tried to kill C- your, uh, your cousin. And me.” For some reason it was too painful to say Cas’s name out loud. He couldn’t stand to feel his name on his tongue when he knew he wasn’t going to see the elf again. 

The small elf that had been the only one to talk to Dean directly looked up at him with a curious expression, like he was pondering Dean’s words. “Then perhaps she can come back as something wonderful. Everyone deserves a second chance.” He fixed Dean with a knowing look and Dean folded his arms over his chest, staring down at his boots as he tried to swallow around the lump in his throat. 

He blinked rapidly as the small elf approached him, hand outstretched towards his thigh. 

“May I?” 

“What?” Dean asked, confused for a moment until he looked down and saw the slash through his thigh, blood staining his dark pants. After everything that happened it just hadn’t seemed important, the pain was just a dull throb now. “Oh, uh, no it’s fine. Don’t waste your energy.”

“It is no waste,” the small elf assured him with a kind smile.

“Seriously, man, it’s fine. I’d rather not have to carry you around while I wait for you to wake up.”

The small elf’s brows furrowed in confusion. “I am not going to sleep any time soon. I can heal you quickly and then I can accompany you to the tower. If you wish.” 

“Wouldn’t healing me drain you?” 

“Not at all!” The small elf chirped happily, stretching his small fingertips toward Dean’s wound again. “Now, may I?”

Dean sighed and nodded, it didn’t seem the small elf was going to stop pestering him about it. It seemed easier to just let him heal Dean’s wound than try to argue with him. Besides, the guy was barely scraping three feet, it wouldn’t be hard to carry him around. 

The small creature’s eyes filled with a soft pink light as his hand hovered over Dean’s thigh. Dean half expected to hear a familiar growl, but of course it never came. He was surprised that the small elf didn’t need to touch him to heal his wound completely. He was even more surprised when the elf blinked, the light fading from his eyes as he looked up at Dean with an eager smile. 

“Do you feel better now?”

“Yeah, uh… what about you…?” He trailed off, since he didn’t know the small elf’s name.

“I am wonderful, a bit saddened by your rejection of my cousin’s love and the longing I see in your eyes, but I am alright. And you may call me Rolly.” 

Rolly’s blunt words hurt much more than he was sure the small creature meant them to. In fact he was sure Rolly hadn’t meant to hurt him at all, he was just being truthful. “I didn’t… I didn’t reject him, okay? Trust me, this is the best option for the both of us. No, this is the  _ only  _ option,” Dean said sternly.

Rolly nodded calmly. “I think to Castiel this is the worst possible option. But I understand why you would think it was the best. You’re trying to save him.” 

Dean took in and released a harsh breath, trying not to snap at the small creature. “Look, Rolly, let’s just walk. Can you guys point me in the direction of the tower that lies in the center of this forest?”

“I can take you there! Although I must warn you that it is guarded by a fearsome dragon. I cannot help you fight it.” 

“Yeah, sure. Thanks, Rolly.” 

Rolly bid his brothers and sisters goodbye before taking off at a surprisingly brisk pace, his quick little steps kept up well with Dean’s much longer stride. They had only been walking for a few minutes when Dean realized that Rolly hadn’t passed out after he’d healed him.

“Hey, Rolly, how come you didn’t pass out after you healed me?” 

The small creature’s brow furrowed as he cocked his head to the side. Dean had to wonder if that was just an elf thing. “Why would I pass out?” 

“I dunno, Cas um, he always passed out after he healed anyone.” He almost didn’t tell Rolly, he didn’t know if that was private information that maybe he wasn’t meant to share. He didn’t want him to think Cas was weak or something either. Because he wasn’t, he was the strongest person Dean had ever met. Even if maybe his magic wasn’t as strong as the other elves or something. He came to a stop when he realized that Rolly had halted a few feet behind him. 

“Castiel healed you?” 

Dean nodded, confused by the strange look on Rolly’s face.

He strode closer to Dean, looking astonished, an awed smile pulling up the corner of his mouth. “Castiel is not a healer, Prince Dean. His magic is supposed to be used to incapacitate his enemies, and only in rare occasions to heal a fallen soldier.” He gave Dean an appraising look. “He is a very special elf.” 

“Yeah,” Dean’s response was short and clipped. He swallowed again, taking off down the path and trying to distract himself from the torrent of emotions swelling behind his ribcage. Of course Cas’s magic wasn’t traditionally meant to heal people, and of course that’s what he used it for anyway. He felt fondness for the strange elf swell behind his sternum and immediately tried to stamp it out, to distract himself. 

He took in their surroundings, not able to see well as his vision blurred. The thick butter yellow trunks of the trees were beautiful, smooth branches curving up towards the stars. Night had fallen, the stars twinkling against the violet sky. The crescent moon hung like a smile. 

Dean was a violent contrast to his surroundings. Pale skin and deep lines under his eyes, rust colored stains on his cheeks and smeared across his forehead. His shirt had lost its white shine a while ago, now more of a beige than anything else. He felt muted, empty. 

And at the same time he felt so goddamn full he was surprised he wasn’t leaking. He was  _ filled  _ with sorrow and hatred and doubt. He hated himself for doing this to Cas. If Cas had never met him he would be fine. He would go on doing whatever the fuck he did before. And maybe he wouldn’t be happy, but he’d be content. You can’t miss something you never had.

“May I ask a question, Prince Dean?” Rolly inquired politely, watching Dean with a sort of empathy that made Dean’s skin crawl. He didn't deserve it. 

“Stop calling me that,” he muttered.

“I apologize. May I ask you a question?” 

“Sure,” Dean sighed, keeping his eyes straight ahead. Any other day he would feel bad for making Rolly walk through the night. But the amount of guilt he was capable of containing had already been maxed out today. And there was no way he was stopping. He would walk until he fell apart at the seams if he had to.

“If you love Castiel, why would you ever let him go to be with another?” 

“How do you know I love him?” Dean’s voice had no inflection, he just had no energy left to try to put emotion behind his words.

“If you didn’t you would not be so distraught over leaving him,” Rolly answered simply.

Dean thought he had been keeping himself together pretty well considering the circumstances. Apparently not. Or maybe Rolly was just perceptive.

“So, why did you leave him?” 

He wanted to point out that Cas was the one who had walked away, but Dean knew that was technicalities. Dean was the one that asked him to leave. Maybe not in so many words, but Castiel always knew what he meant. “Let’s play the quiet game.”

There was silence for a few minutes, just the sound of Dean trampling twigs and leaves underfoot as he stomped through the forest, Rolly struggling a bit to keep up. 

“But, I don’t understand," Rolly protested, frustration leaking into his voice for the first time since Dean had heard him speak. He had a feeling that it was incredibly rare to be obnoxious enough to frustrate a creature like Rolly. "Castiel loves you, I don’t know if I’ve _ever_ seen someone who loves as fiercely as him. Love is everything. I don’t understand how you could let your mate go.” 

“He’s not my mate,” Dean snapped, hands curled into fists at his sides as he ground his teeth. He knew Rolly wasn’t try to upset him, he just didn’t understand, but Dean couldn’t stand to hear him talk about Cas anymore. It wasn’t doing anything to help him keep his resolve. He was this close to fucking everything up and sprinting back the opposite way in search of Cas. 

“Maybe not technically..." Rolly trailed off quietly. Dean could feel the creature's round eyes boring into him. 

“Rolly. I can’t talk about this anymore, okay? I am  _ not _ going to be the reason Cas dies. I won’t be.” 

Rolly was thankfully quiet as they continued to walk. Dean didn’t allow himself to think as they moved. He wished he hadn’t let Rolly heal his thigh, the pain would’ve been a pleasant distraction. Instead he focused solely on putting one foot in front of the other, just moving, never stopping. When he found his thoughts drifting to messy dark hair and blue eyes, a gentle soul that he was sure no one could possibly be worthy of, Dean would start counting his steps. He clenched his jaw until his temples ached and he counted his steps. 

Because if he allowed himself to think about it he wasn’t going to be able to do what needed to be done. If he thought about it he was going to break.

Hours passed by, rays of light starting to spill over the horizon. The trees were starting to thin, giving way to a wide clearing filled with crisp green grass. In the center of the clearing was a tall grey tower, intimidating even in the soft light of day. 

He didn’t realize he had stopped walking until he felt a small hand tugging at the hem of his shirt and glanced down to see Rolly looking up at him with a melancholy smile. 

“I wish you luck, Dean. I am sorry I could not do more to help you and my cousin.”

Dean’s vision swam for a moment, his throat tightening. He coughed and tried to blink back his tears. “You did more than you needed to, Rolly. You’re a good guy.”

The small elf positively beamed at Dean’s compliment. His expression quickly sobered though as he glanced briefly at the tower. “I… I do not usually give this kind of advice, and I apologize if this is out of line but… I think it would do you good to get angry.”

Dean blinked. 

Rolly smiled calmly. “I hope this is not the last I see of you. Farewell.” And just like that the small elf was gone. 

Dean turned back towards the tower. He didn’t see any big scary dragon circling it, and he really didn’t have enough brain cells left to scrape together some sort of strategy. He was walkin’ through the front door. 

His legs felt like lead as they carried him to the entrance, stepping inside the cool stone corridor. A stone staircase that wound up to the top of the tower in a grand spiral and seemed to go on forever greeted him. 

Here he was. The Prince coming to rescue his Princess and slay the dragon. He hadn’t wanted this to begin with but he never would have imagined that something meant to be so grand could feel so hollow. He took a breath and started climbing the stairs. “And they lived  _ happily ever after.”  _   
  


 

~~~<><><>~~~

 

Castiel had cried twice in his life before he’d met Dean. When he was five and he’d almost been drowned by a particularly vicious water nymph. And when he was seventeen and had been stopped by his brother from making a deal with Crowley. 

Currently he couldn’t see the forest floor through his tears. He wouldn’t stop walking though, he didn’t think he could. Fury coursed through his veins, barely surpassing the gut wrenching sadness that threatened to consume him. He was thankful for the rage. It was easy to focus on blind anger, it was motivating. Sadness knocked the breath out of you, halted you in your steps. 

He wasn’t going to be consumed, he fed his anger instead, clung to it. 

Dean was a coward. He would rather roll over and do his father’s bidding than fight for what he wanted. Than fight for Castiel. That hurt more than any pain Castiel had ever felt. 

He wanted Dean to get angry. Dean wasn’t angry he was hopeless. He thought his father was invincible. Castiel didn’t care how powerful this King John was, everyone had a weakness. No one was invincible. 

Dean was a coward for not at least  _ trying.  _ He was a coward… he… he was doing what he thought was right. 

And just like that Castiel's sadness surpassed his fury, almost extinguishing it completely. 

It was  _ not  _ right. It was so  _ wrong.  _ Nothing righteous could feel so horrible, could ache like this. This was so horribly  _ wrong _ that Castiel felt sick with it. 

He’d given everything to Dean. Every part of himself he had to offer up he had. And it wasn’t worth fighting for. 

Consumed by grief and not paying the slightest bit of attention to his surroundings, Castiel never could have heard the soft footsteps creeping up on him. He didn’t notice a thing, just felt a sudden pain in the back of his head and then all he saw was darkness. 

 

 

He came to and squinted in the bright daylight, grimacing as he felt the dull throb at the back of his head. He quickly realized that was the least of his problems. Two elves, two elves from  _ his  _ tribe were carrying Castiel in a small wooden cage, warded with magic that made it impossible for him to break out of. 

The younger dark haired elf smirked when saw that Castiel was awake. “Hey, Bart, look who’s awake.”

Bartholomew peered over his shoulder, a dark look crossing his features when he saw Castiel. “You should be ashamed of yourself, brother.” 

Castiel breathed out deeply, folding his legs and settling his palms on his knees. He shut his eyes, feeling unbelievably weary. “I am not ashamed of myself, Bartholomew. Do whatever you feel must be done, but you cannot twist my feelings into something they’re not.”

“Not ashamed?” The younger elf repeated back in an incredulous tone. “You’re tainted, Castiel. You let some filthy  _ human  _ touch you. Bet you probably enjoyed it too. You’re sick, you know that?”

Castiel clenched his jaw and breathed deeply, refusing to open his eyes or respond. Nothing he did with Dean was sick or depraved, that he knew for certain. He wouldn’t allow them to take that away from him, those were the best memories he had. 

“He will be punished for his deeds, Eric. There is no need to antagonize him.”

Fear tightened Castiel’s chest. He focused on breathing steadily, steeling himself for what was to come. He wouldn’t fight it. There was no use. All the fight had left him a few hours ago anyway. 

“Everyone knows what you did, Castiel,” Eric whispered maliciously. “You weren’t subtle, or um,  _ quiet.”  _ He sniggered and Castiel’s jaw ticked. “We have more than enough reason to banish you. God, you should hear the stories that our fellow forest creatures came to us with. They said you let the human inside you.” He made a repulsed noise and Castiel felt his cheeks flame, but didn’t respond, clenching his jaw so tightly that his entire head ached. “You should’ve seen your mother’s face when she heard that one. She was  _ disgusted.  _ Almost threw up. We would’ve had to punish you for letting an elf inside you, but a  _ human _ ...  I doubt you’ll survive your punishment.” 

Castiel couldn’t help the way he started to tremble slightly. He did everything he could to keep still, to keep his heart from hammering, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. Knowing that Eric was right, and he would probably be dead soon, he gave up trying to police his thoughts. He let himself think of Dean. 

He thought of his human’s bright smile, and all it’s variations. Lopsided when he told a joke that he thought would make Castiel laugh. An obnoxious smirk anytime he could make Castiel blush, or gasp out in pleasure. That shy, embarrassed smile he wore when Castiel told him he was beautiful. A wide smile, brighter than the sun, that crinkled the corners of his eyes as he laughed. 

Warmth spread throughout his ribcage, replacing the cold fear with the love he felt for Dean. He thought perhaps his punishment might not be so horrible as long as could hold onto this warmth. At least he could die knowing bliss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll probably have the next chapter up later today or tomorrow. So stay tuned!


	18. Chapter 18

There was nothing left Dean could distract himself with, no color changing trees, no sky, no Rolly. Just endless grey stairs. There was nothing to keep his thoughts muffled anymore. And the more he thought, and the higher he climbed, the angrier he got.

Dean had already lost. He’d waved his white flag and surrendered without a fight because he was terrified. He was terrified of losing Cas, of forcing the throne on Sam when he didn’t want it, hell, he was still terrified of disappointing his father. He was being a coward. He was scared of making the wrong choice and so he wasn’t making one at all. He was doing exactly what his father wanted him to do and the opposite of what _he_ wanted to do.

He was doing what he’d done his whole life and let his father tell him what his destiny was, what he supposed to do.

Well _fuck. That._ Dean was done being his father’s perfect little soldier, following every order he barked out because he was terrified of the consequences. He was not a child anymore and he wasn’t going to just roll over because he was afraid.

Caught up in his raging thoughts, Dean didn’t realize that he was climbing higher and higher, stomping up the stairs two at a time.

If he finished his quest he might keep John from searching for Castiel, but he’d lose him nonetheless. He couldn’t. He couldn’t lose Cas, it had only been a day without him and he already felt like he was falling apart.

Dean wasn’t willing to spend the rest of his life apart from the creature he loved.

He could feel a smile tugging at his lips as his thoughts drifted to the curious little elf. How gentle he was when he could just as easily be vicious. How expressive he was, unable to hide his emotions behind wide blue eyes. His train of thought derailed slightly, recalling exactly how expressive he was during his heat, never bothering to stifle any whimpers or moans, correct his grip to something less bruising. Dean had a feeling that it didn’t even cross his mind to _try_ and stifle anything. He loved how shameless his elf was when it came to sex, when it came to everything really. Not that Dean couldn’t make him blush, because he most definitely could.

Dean’s smile widened as he recalled the biggest smile he’d ever seen on his elf. After a particularly mind-blowing string of orgasms he had suddenly been overcome with a fit of giggles. Wide, gummy smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes overtaking his face as he curled into Dean’s chest. Dean remembered being unable to help joining in after a few stunned moments of just watching Cas, completely mesmerized.

He wanted to see that beautiful smile again. He’d do anything to get to see that smile again.

So fuck _destiny._ Fuck doing what he’s told. And fuck his father for trying to hunt his- fuck- his mate! Fuck all of that! He was going to fight for Castiel goddamnit because he was worth fighting for.

Filled with determination and feeling slightly giddy at the thought of seeing his elf again, he realized he had reached the top of the tower and was in what looked to be a large circular room. There was a four poster bed up against one wall, a large bookshelf lining about half the room, and a small kitchenette. It was actually rather cozy.

He was about to turn back around and head down the steps when he saw a flash or bright red hair and was punched squarely in the nose.

Dean stumbled back a few steps, groaning and clutching at his bloody nose. He looked for his attacker, surprised to see a lithe young redhead dressed for battle, fierce expression on her face.

“What the hell?!” Dean exclaimed, voice raising a few octaves. “I think you broke my nose!”

“You think I’m just gonna ride off happily into the sunset with you because you’re some sort of royalty?” She spat, faltering a bit as her eyes roamed over Dean’s tattered and filthy clothes, probably wondering if he actually _was_ royalty. She squared her shoulders, planting her hands on her hips and carried on anyway. “Well I got news for you, pal, that’s not rescuing, that’s kidnapping. And I’m not going anywhere without a fight. You should also know that the last men who tried to ‘rescue’ me ended up nothing more than a pile of ash.”

Dean wiped his bloody nose on his sleeve, grimacing slightly at the mess. God, he really hoped his nose wasn’t broken. “Alright, well. I don’t know, good for you? I don’t want to rescue you.” He shrugged.

“You don’t?” Her shoulders relaxed a little, nose scrunching in confusion.

“No.”

“Isn’t that a good thing, Charlie?” A second female voice called. He swiveled to find a woman with dark hair slinking around the corner, she had on a white top and grey pants, sword on her hip. Her sharp eyes were calculating as they quickly assessed Dean, warming with a slightly raised eyebrow as she returned her gaze to the Princess.

“I mean, _yeah,_ but… why the hell _don’t_ you wanna rescue me? I’m awesome.” The Princess watched Dean expectantly, hands still planted firmly on her hips.

Wow, this was incredibly awkward. The other woman was watching Dean expectantly too, a bit of a challenge in her eyes like she was waiting for Dean to say something bad about the Princess.

“Uh, I’m in love with someone else. It kinda happened while I was on my way to rescue you actually, so… thanks?” Dean shrugged awkwardly again, scratching at the back of his head and looking between the two women. “Um, you know I actually really need to get going. I’m not really sure how I’m gonna find him and I need to go quickly or I think I might lose him forever.”

The Princess and the dark haired woman traded a long look between them. An entire silent conversation passing between their eyes.

“If you’re in love with someone else than what are you doing in my tower?” The Princess asked dubiously, finally tearing her eyes away from the other woman to narrow them at Dean.

“Look,” Dean sighed. “Any other time I’d be _happy_ to tell you this incredibly long, harrowing tale of love and selfless heroism. But right now, Princess, I’m sorry but I really need to go. I fucked up and I need to fix it. So, if you’d let me go without trying to beat me up again, that’d be nice.”

“Do you have something he touched?” The dark haired woman asked abruptly, stepping closer to Dean.

“What? Why?” Dean asked, taking a step back as the woman continued to come closer.

“I can help you find him if you have something he touched,” she explained, a hint of impatience to her voice. “Do you?”

“Um…” Dean blushed as he thought about that. “Do I count?”

She narrowed her eyes in assessment. “Has he you touched you a lot?”

Dean tried to keep his blush from darkening. “Uh, yeah.”

“Then you should do.” She stepped forward quickly, plucking a few hairs from his head without warning and striding off to the kitchenette. There was a lot of banging and shuffling as she spread a map over a large stone table, gathering other ingredients into a bronze bowl. Dean watched on feeling a bit dazed by the sudden whir of activity.

He glanced to the side and noticed that the Princess was watching the dark haired woman with a bit of a smirk.

“Are you two…?” Dean pointed between the two of them, raising an eyebrow at the Princess.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but… yeah, I’m totally tapping that.” She grinned smugly at Dean, bobbing her head with a look of pride. Dean chuckled a little despite how his heart was pounding in his chest, he couldn’t tell if it was from excitement or fear. Probably a little bit of both.

The dark haired woman was completely focused on her task, lighting a match and dropping it into the bronze bowl. There was a whoosh of fire that crackled past the bowl and ate away at the map until there was just one spot left unburnt.

“Hm.” That was the only sound the woman made as she looked at the spot on the map.

Dean rounded on her, his heart pounding painfully against his ribcage. “What does ‘hm’ mean?” Dean snapped. “Where is he?”

She looked up at him with slight worry in his eyes, hesitating for a moment. “He’s in the territory of a very dangerous elf tribe. They do _not_ take kindly to outsiders…”

Dean took in a shuddering breath, gripping the top of his hair and pressing his palm into his forehead. _“Fuck!”_ He shouted, startling the Princess, who jumped slightly. The other woman simply narrowed her eyes with a curious expression. Dean inhaled another breath, feeling like he couldn’t really take any air in as he reopened his eyes. “That’s his tribe,” He explained to the dark haired woman.

Then he turned away from her, rubbing his palms down his face as he paced.

“Why the fuck would he go back there?” Dean muttered to himself, completely distraught. They were going to kill him and it was Dean’s fault. It was completely his fault.

The dark haired woman rested a reassuring hand on Dean’s shoulder, keeping him from pacing. “If it is his tribe I don’t think you need to worry.”

Dean shook his head rapidly. “I need to go. I need to go _now._ They’re going to kill him. How the hell do you get there?” He asked, jabbing a finger at the piece of map. He didn’t have any semblance of a plan or any idea how he was going to infiltrate this apparently extremely dangerous tribe of warrior elves. But he needed to go.

“Well how the hell are you-” the Princess started to ask, probably how the hell Dean was supposed to rescue him single handedly, but the dark haired woman interrupted her.

“We can take you there,” She told him, fierce expression in her eyes as she met Dean’s own panicked ones.

“Wha- Dorothy!” Charlie protested.

The dark haired woman- Dorothy- met Charlie with a stern look. “What would you do if it was me?”

They stared at each other for a beat longer before Charlie nodded succinctly. “Okay. Let’s go.”

With that Dorothy ran and leapt out the open window. Dean’s eyes widened to comical proportions as he gaped.

“What the hell are you waiting for?” Charlie called, already flying down the steps.

Dean ran after her, still confused. “Why the fuck did your girlfriend just jump out the window?”

Charlie smirked again. _“She’s_ the dragon.”

Oh. Hm. That was… interesting. “You ever have sex with her in dragon form?”

Charlie’s cheeks flushed almost as red as her hair, running down the steps a little faster. Despite everything Dean couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped him.

“Hey, no judgement here.” Dean held up his hands in a placating gesture. “If Cas could turn into a dragon I’d definitely try to fuck him in that form.”

“Would you please shut up?” She grumbled, cheeks seriously about as bright as her hair at this point. “Is Cas your…?”

“Yeah.” The smile slipped off his face and just like that all the panic and fear for his elf came rushing back in a cold flood of anxiety behind his sternum, he felt choked by it for a moment.

“We’ll save him,” Charlie told him with a small, reassuring smile.

Dean tried his best to believe her.

They travelled down the steps much quicker than Dean had stomped up them. At the base of the tower a giant, scaly, black dragon met them. Blue and purple reflected off her scales, shimmering in the sunlight. Despite having grown about fifty feet she still had the same eyes, same determined expression in their black depths. Vicious looking spikes lined her back and horns framed her head like a crown. Dean looked down at his sword briefly, just a flimsy piece of metal in comparison to Dorothy. He never would’ve been able to slay her. He wouldn’t have taken Charlie against her will either. This whole thing was doomed from the start.

 

~~~<><><>~~~

 

Castiel’s expression was blank as they led him to the center of their territory, where the small stone houses surrounded them in a wide circle. It was usually used as a place to gather to discuss battle plans, new laws, new leaders, community events… and punishments. Everyone in his tribe was gathered there now, everyone he’d known his whole life. He couldn’t bring himself to look at any of them, didn’t want to recognize the screaming faces in the crowd, he tried not to hear the horrible words they shouted at him.

Bartholomew and Eric led him to the very center of the circle, tearing the shirt from his back before forcing him to kneel down in front of the shackles cemented to the ground. He had been shackled here before, he’d seen other people shackled here before, but never for a banishment. Or more likely an execution.

He refused to bow his head as Bartholomew locked the heavy iron cuffs around his wrists, forcing his brother to meet his glare. He wasn’t going to give them what they wanted. He would not bow his head in shame, he would not beg for forgiveness, and he would not cry when the pain eventually became too much to bare.

Bartholomew met his glare with a sneer, ripping the key out of the cuffs and retreating into the dense crowd with Eric.

Raphael, the leader of their tribe, came forward, a hush falling over the crowd as she did. She approached him slowly, expression stern, coming to a stop with about ten feet of distance between them. She was clad in her battle armor, heavy metal crown resting proudly on her head, the sharp horns curling heavenwards.

Castiel had never got on in a friendly manner with Raphael, but he’d respected her. She was fair when it came to her leadership, and she was merciless in battle.

Castiel met her stern expression with a hard glare.

“Do you know why you are being banished?” She asked calmly.

He didn’t say anything. He wasn’t going to play along.

“Very well.” She sighed, but didn’t seem surprised by his disobedience. “I’m sure Naomi will explain it to you well enough.”

Castiel faltered, glare crumbling as his eyes widened upon hearing his mother’s name. The crowd parted again as his mother came forward. Her expression wasn’t stern like Raphael’s, it was cold, empty. She refused to meet Castiel’s eyes.

 _“No,”_ Castiel growled, chains clanking as he struggled uselessly against the shackles around his wrists. “You’re making my _mother_ banish me?!” Castiel shouted, fury burning hot in his veins. “No. Make someone else do it.”

“She asked to do this, Castiel,” Raphael responded calmly.

His stomach dropped out beneath him at those words, looking at his mother with pleading eyes, _begging_ her silently to just look at him.

He heard laughter from the crowd and he was furious all over again. He wanted to scream in anger, thrash against his shackles. He was shaking he was so filled with rage, but he clamped his teeth shut to keep himself from speaking and stared straight ahead. He refused to give them a show.

In his peripheral vision he saw Raphael hand an ornate knife to Naomi, and a glass bottle filled with a slightly sizzling yellow liquid. He breathed harshly through his nose at the sight but otherwise didn’t react.

Naomi took her position behind him.

“This is for going past the boundaries that you were commanded to stay within.” Naomi’s voice was cold, distant and devoid of any emotion. She slashed a thin line through his back with the knife and Castiel clenched his teeth tighter. He felt the sizzling liquid hit his back and was unable to keep himself from trembling, every muscle in his body tensing as he fought back any sort of noise that would let everyone know he was in pain. The liquid was said to be a cleanser, something to free your soul of the burden you had put upon it by disobeying. He didn’t know who had originally said that but it was a baldfaced lie, it did nothing to heal or cleanse, only burn you from the inside out, make it impossible for your punishment wounds to heal. Always a thin white scar to remind you of your deed, to keep you in line.

“This is for speaking with a human.” Naomi’s voice trembled slightly, whether with sadness or anger Castiel wasn’t certain. Maybe just disappointment.

The next cut of her knife was shorter than the last but deeper. Castiel’s breathing came out harshly through his flared nostrils as that horrible liquid seeped into his wound again.

 _“This_ is for giving your seed to someone without the intent to procreate.” She was rapidly losing all semblance of calm she had about the situation, her emotion bleeding through her voice and in the angry way she cut him. They weren’t even and precise they like they had been every time Castiel had been punished before. Her cuts were jagged and furious, some deep, some shallow, long or short.

 _“This_ is for letting yourself be sodomized.”

His entire body was shaking with the effort it took to hold back his cries of pain as Naomi continued to cut into his back, tears stinging the back of his eyes as the pain became overwhelming. The blood loss was making his vision spot, sinking lower to the dirt on his knees but still refusing to bow his head, clinging to consciousness.

 _“This_ is for giving yourself to a _human.”_ She shouted brokenly as she slashed at his back again, her voice thick. Naomi lost the last shred of control she had over her emotions as she screamed at him. “Do you know what they have done to us, Castiel? They hunt us for sport! They have killed countless numbers of your brothers and sisters! They killed your father! And you gave one of them your seed?! Your body?! What is _wrong_ with you?!”

Something that sounded like a sob tore out of her throat as she cut through his back with a vicious slash.

Tears tracked silently down his cheeks, face twisting as he held back a sob of his own.

 

~~~<><><>~~~

 

Dean, Dorothy and Charlie had managed to get into the elves territory without any problem, finding the dirt streets completely empty. They soon realized the reason for that was because everyone was gathered in the center of their small town. Dean weaved his way through the crowd, not drawing much attention to himself.

Until he spotted what they were circled around. Castiel, chained to the ground and kneeling in front of a woman who held a bloody knife as she screamed at him and cut into his back while the crowd cheered righteously. Castiel flinched every time her knife came down, teeth gritted and shaking uncontrollably, eyes fixed unseeing on some spot in the distance.

 _Fury_ raged through him, clenching his teeth and curling his hands into fists. He only made it one step before being yanked back with a hand clamped painfully on his shoulder. “What is your plan?” Dorothy whispered harshly.

“I’ll make it up as I go,” Dean snapped back, ripping out of her grip and charging out of the crowd and into the center of the circle.

 

~~~<><><>~~~

 

 _“STOP!”_ A deep voice boomed, absolutely furious.

Castiel tried to blink past the dark spots in his vision, head whipping up as he searched for the owner of that voice. He knew that voice.

Perhaps he had already died, because that couldn’t possibly be his human charging towards him and ripping his long knife from his belt, the sunlight melting around his silhouette like a halo.

“Cut him _one more_ time and I cut off your hands,” he seethed, quickly closing in.

 _“You._ You’re the human aren’t you?” Naomi asked, the raw emotion leaving her voice, just cold fury taking it’s place.

“In the flesh,” Dean retorted, lip twitching into a snarl briefly and eyes gleaming with hatred as he stared down Castiel’s mother.

A vicious shout tore out of Naomi as she ran at Dean with the now blood soaked knife.

“NO!” Castiel pulled at his shackles again, panic seizing up his chest as Naomi swung at his human. “Naomi, _don’t! Please.”_

Castiel didn’t care if he was giving them a show, if he was begging, tears leaking from his eyes. He couldn’t lose Dean, couldn’t watch him die.

“You _ruined_ my son! Your very touch _corrupts,”_ she screamed, slashing at Dean but just hitting air as he ducked out of the way.

“Your son?” Dean’s eyes widened, darting briefly to Castiel. Naomi swung again and managed to slice a neat line through his shoulder while he was distracted, red staining his filthy shirt.

“Dean, _pay attention!”_ Castiel screamed, wrists aching as he yanked on his shackles again.

He ducked another wave of her knife, dropping his long knife and catching her wrist. He twisted sharply, forcing her to drop the knife and then he punched her hard enough in the face that she collapsed in an unconscious heap on the ground. He quickly picked up his long knife and re-sheathed it before running to Castiel and dropping to his knees in front of him.

“What are you doing?” Castiel asked breathlessly, searching his human’s gentle eyes, lit up with exhilaration as his gaze whipped around Castiel’s face like was trying to assure himself that he was really here. Dean shouldn’t be here, he shouldn’t have have come, he didn’t belong here and he was no match for Castiel’s tribe. Adrenaline coursed through him, his fear for his human keeping him from passing out from blood loss.

“I’m saving you,” Dean replied, cocky smirk pulling up the corner of his mouth briefly before the bravado fell away, exposing his fear and relief. He took Castiel’s face between his hands and Castiel melted into the touch, eyelids fluttering as he swayed closer to his human.

“Dean.” His voice barely rose above a whisper, heavy with so much emotion. He blinked past the tears in his eyes, needing to see his human clearly, the dark freckles across the bridge of his nose, jade eyes with bruises underneath them, matted hair and that ridiculous, filthy rag he called a shirt, barely hanging off his shoulders now. Castiel truly never thought he was going to see Dean again. He leaned closer, straining at his shackles and wanting to reach out and touch for himself, feel him underneath his palms, assure himself that this was real.

Dean reached down for Castiel’s bound hands, tangling their fingers together with one hand. Castiel grasped the proffered hand tightly with his shaking fingers, clinging to Dean like a lifeline. His forehead fell into Castiel’s, noses brushing as he breathed raggedly. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” Dean whispered. “I’m yours, Cas. If you still want me, I’m yours. We can figure everything else out as we go.”

So much joy swelled inside of Castiel that he would be surprised if his very skin wasn’t glowing, he felt like he had swallowed the sun. He closed that last little bit of space between them, surging into Dean with a heated kiss. It was sloppy and raw, too many emotions coursing through the both of them to have a single clear thought. Dean groaned softly, tilting his head so Castiel could get deeper. If he wasn’t shackled Castiel would mate him right now, he didn’t care if everyone was watching.

“I’ll always want you, Dean,” Cas breathed out raggedly against his human’s lips. A soft growl rumbled through him as he licked at Dean’s lips. “Mine, my mate.”

“Yours, Cas,” Dean assured him breathlessly between heated smacks of lips. “Just yours.”

“You know, while the lovefest is _incredibly_ touching and honestly, I could watch it for another few hours, I can only hold off the angry mob for so long, brother.”

Castiel and Dean both startled out of the fog they had slipped into, Castiel’s brow furrowing when he saw Gabriel just a few feet away, eyes glowing with a pale blue light and a sheen of sweat on his brow as he held the entirety of their tribe at bay.

Castiel leaned back, tugging the chain on his shackles as tight as it would go. He met Dean’s eyes with determination. “Cut me free.”

Dean got to his feet and unsheathed his long knife, raising it high above his head before bringing it down with a mighty swing. The chains sparked but didn’t break. “Goddammit,” Dean muttered. “This always goes so much smoother in stories.” He shot an apologetic smile at Cas. “Alright, bare with me.”

He swung down five more times before finally breaking through the chains, the iron cuffs still bound Castiel’s wrists but there was no chain attached anymore. He got shakily to his feet and immediately swayed. He gasped in pain when Dean caught him, hand at his cut up back.

“Sorry, sorry!” Dean quickly moved his hand, looking torn between fury and sympathy. Castiel was just now noticing the heavy bruises under his eyes and across his nose.

“What happened to your face?”

“Wh-” Dean reached up to touch his nose, wincing slightly. “Oh, that. Princess punched me.”

A growl ripped past Castiel’s lips. He was going to give this Princess two black eyes of her own for ever thinking she could lay one finger on his mate.

“Hey, don’t even start with that,” Dean reprimanded, wagging a finger at Castiel and cutting off his growl. “She helped me get here to rescue you, okay?”

Castiel stopped growling but didn’t lighten his glare.

“Are you serious? This is nothing, you’re the one bleeding to death right now. Stop worrying about me and start healing yourself,” Dean said sternly.

“I can’t.” Castiel’s shoulders slumped, breathing heavier as the adrenaline started to fade and the sharp pain across his back returned.

“What do you mean you can’t?” Dean asked, panic lacing his voice.

“I mean, I _can’t.”_

“W-”

“STOP. BICKERING. AND _RUN!”_ Gabriel shouted, veins popping out in his neck, face red with the effort it was taking him to hold everyone back. His brother was powerful but no one was powerful enough to hold an entire tribe back for long.

Dean grabbed Castiel’s hand to guide him away, turning and looking for an opening, and then turning again, and again. They were completely surrounded.  

“You need to… you have to go…” Gabriel was blinking rapidly, swaying on his feet, the light in his eyes fading.

Another wave of adrenaline surged through Castiel as he saw the sea of angry faces surrounding them, wanting to kill him, wanting to kill his human, his _mate._

Dean unsheathed his long knife once more, squeezing Castiel’s hand and giving him a weak smile, eyes roaming around his face like he thought it was the last time he would have the chance.

“I love you,” Dean said suddenly.

“I know.” Castiel dropped Dean’s hand to wrap his fingers around Dean’s neck and pull him into a fierce kiss. He broke away far too soon, searching Dean’s eyes and not finding hope, but not seeing regret either.

They were not going to die, Castiel wouldn’t let that happen, he kept his promises. Gabriel was fading quickly and Castiel knew what he had to do. He was nowhere near as powerful as his brother, but he was desperate, and he was flooded with adrenaline and the need to protect his mate above all else. He hoped that would be enough.

He waited until Gabriel collapsed into a heap on the ground and then he gathered every ounce of magic he could summon, Castiel could feel it against his ribs like something electric, so much more than he had ever handled. It hurt to hold all that impossible heat inside him, it was burning him. Pale blue light flooded his eyes as it pulsed out of him in one massive wave. The last thing he recalled before everything went black was inhaling dirt.


	19. Chapter 19

Castiel shot up to a sitting position, inhaling sharply as the level of pain in his back spiked with the abrupt movement. He ignored it as he swiveled his head around, taking in his surroundings. He was laying in a strange bed and someone had tucked him beneath the soft yellow blankets. It appeared to be day, sunlight seeping in through the sole window in the room, the only thing visible through the opening was the pale sky of morning.

The room was empty save for the bed Castiel was laying in.

He threw the woolen blankets off his lap, stepping out of the bed warily, wooden floors creaking beneath the calloused pads of his feet. He noted the white bandages wrapped around his otherwise bare torso. They appeared to be somewhat fresh, although the more he moved the more sure he became that he was reopening all the wounds on his back.

He needed to find Dean. Everything else came second.

Castiel looked around the room for an exit, panic seizing up his chest when he didn’t see a door, but then he noticed the metal latch on the wooden floor. He drew his dagger before crouching to lift the small square, thinking that the fact he still had his dagger on him was probably a good sign. He couldn’t see anything but stone floors beneath. Tensing and readjusting his grip on the smooth handle of his blade, he dropped through the opening. The stone was cool underfoot as he landed a bit more roughly than perhaps he normally would, his injuries making it difficult to move with any sort of grace.

Relief coursed through him when the first thing he saw was Dean. But the wariness quickly crept back in around the edges of his mind as he took in the two women sitting at the table with Dean, playing cards in all of their hands.

Dean’s face lit up with a bright smile as he spotted Castiel, knocking two chairs over and sending a bowl clattering to the floor in his hurry to Castiel.

“You’re awake!” Dean greeted, then his eyes dropped to the dagger in Castiel’s hand. “Cas, put it away, no one here wants to hurt you.”

Castiel spared another wary glance towards the women at the table, both having tensed when they noticed him and his dagger, but he re-sheathed his blade. He trusted Dean.

He couldn’t help but simply stare for a moment, eyes drifting over chestnut freckles and worry-bitten pink lips. The bruises below his eyes had softened and almost faded completely, the lines below his eyes had only deepened though. His hair with it’s bits of gold was matted and unkempt. He was obviously worn from stress, but currently his smile was so bright that it was hard to notice.

“Sorry you woke up alone,” Dean apologized quietly, speaking only to Castiel.

Castiel just pulled Dean into a bone crushing embrace, tucking his face into his human’s neck and breathing in that scent that was just _Dean_ as he melted into all his warmth. Dean’s arms snaked around his shoulders and his waist, carefully avoiding his wounds as he pulled him into a full body hug.

“Hello, Dean,” Cas sighed the words against his throat.

“Hey, Cas.”

All the question’s Castiel had about where they were and how they got here and who those women at the table were slipped from his mind. The only thoughts in his head were of how warm Dean was beneath him, firm muscle beneath soft skin, broad shoulders that were so comfortable to rest his head on. Dean’s grip on him tightened, pulling them together more firmly as a gentle sigh rumbled through his chest.

“You were out for a while,” Dean told him softly, words muffled against his hair.

Castiel wanted to ask how long he was out for, and what exactly had happened. The details were fuzzy in his memory. He recalled that hopeless look in Dean’s eyes as he told him he loved him, and then there were just bits and pieces. His chest ached as he vaguely recalled a burning light. But currently he’d much rather take Dean someplace private for a few hours, or maybe a few days. He wanted his mate to be his mate already. Everything else could wait.

His hands moved firmly down Dean’s sides, taking hold of his hips as he raised his head to meet his human’s eye, close enough that the tips of their noses brushed. “Dean… did you mean what you said? About being mine?”

“Cas, how the hell can you even ask me that?” Dean dropped his lips to catch the corner of Castiel’s mouth, continuing to move across his cheek. “Of course I meant it, I meant every word,” he murmured, continuing to pepper Castiel’s cheek with soft kisses.

Castiel’s fingers curled over Dean’s hips, sighing happily and unable to help the flutter of his eyelashes as Dean’s lips roamed across his cheek and his temple, his chin, his eyebrow, the bridge of his nose. “Do you think we could go somewhere a little more private then?”

Dean drew his head back to meet Castiel’s gaze, eyes widening slightly. “Oh, you mean-”

“Yes,” Castiel cut Dean off in his excitement, his breathing coming slightly quicker. “If um, I mean if you want to.”

Dean grinned and pulled Castiel into a real kiss, his lips freezing suddenly, pulling back barely an inch and searching Castiel’s eyes intently. “Are you sure you should really be doing… you know, _that_ right now? I mean you’ve basically been comatose for the past three days.”

“Dean we are effectively on the run. Do you really want to wait for a better time to do this? Because I don’t think there’s going to be one.”

“I just don’t want you to hurt yourself any worse…”

“Then be gentle with me.” Castiel’s lips twitched upwards when he saw that dropping his voice slightly and widening his eyes had proven effective in seducing Dean.

Dean released a shuddering breath, eyes having darkened significantly. “Yeah okay, I’m sure you’ll be fine. Let’s go.”

There was a loud, indignant exclamation, followed by the voice of his brother. “Wha- guys! How come no one told me Cassie was awake?”

Castiel’s head swiveled towards the source of the sound, finding Gabriel with his arms spread wide in what Dean had told him was the ‘universal gesture of what the fuck’. The two women glanced up from their cards and the dark haired woman simply shrugged while the redhead seemed to be floundering for words.

Gabriel strode over to them and immediately started trying to insert himself between Castiel and Dean, only succeeding because Dean stepped back and let him. Castiel would have gladly fought off his brother’s advances.

“Now, I know you probably wanna go have some innocent fun with loverboy here, play a raunchy game of checkers, whatever the hell you crazy kids do, but I pretty much saved your ass single-handedly. I think that at least deserves a brief and uncomfortable hug, and a two minute conversation where you thank me profusely and I say, ‘Oh, it was really nothing. All in the job description.’”

A small smile pulled up the corners of Castiel’s lips. “Thank you, Gabriel.”

Gabriel sighed around his grin. “Well, it wasn’t exactly what I asked for, but it was sincere. I’ll take it.” He rested his hand on Castiel’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. Gabriel was pretty much incapable of being serious, but in rare moments like these the humor left his eyes. His brows pulled up in the middle as he took in his younger brother. “I was worried about you, kid. You kinda just took off on me.”

Castiel opened his mouth, he wasn’t quite sure what he was about to say, perhaps apologize, but Gabriel cut him off before he could start.

“I mean, of course I immediately assumed you’d gone off and mated a ridiculously good looking prince. That’s so _you.''_

“We’re not mated yet.”

“You’re not-” Gabriel huffed out a frustrated breath, propped his chin in his palm, fingers tapping against his lips. “Let me get this straight, you were ready to be banished, possibly _killed_ for this guy, and he’s not your mate.” He spun around to face a slightly bewildered looking Dean then. “You must have one magical cock.”

“Gabriel!” Castiel could feel his blush creeping up to the tips of his ears, avoiding Dean’s now amused gaze.

“No, seriously, I don’t think Cassie here’s ever even had a _crush_. During mating season he just locks himself in his room. But then _you_ come along and suddenly Castiel’s as horny as a tree elf.”

Castiel couldn’t help the mortified blush that heated his cheeks as the women started to snicker and Dean looked like he was fighting a laugh of his own as he bit the inside of his cheek, laughter barely contained by his grin. Dean just shrugged at his brother.

Gabriel rounded on Castiel again, eyebrows raised. “Seriously, what’s so special about Prince Charming here? Ya know, _besides_ the obvious.”

Despite his obnoxious way of asking, Castiel could tell Gabriel was genuinely curious. He sighed and shifted his gaze to Dean, who had folded his arms over his chest, ducking his head and scuffing his boot on the stone. “It’s just him.”

“Ugh,” Gabriel groaned loudly, the sound plying his eyes away from Dean and back to his brother. “You guys are gross. Go, get out of here. Go back to your attic and count each other’s eyelashes. Come back down when you can be tolerable.”  Gabriel waved them off with an exaggerated grossed out expression, picking up one of the chairs Dean had knocked over earlier and taking a seat.

Dean raised his eyes to Castiel again, grinning a bit. They took their cue and hurried back to the attic, Dean grabbing a step ladder that Castiel hadn’t spotted at first. Castiel could’ve jumped and climbed back up to the attic without it, but he’d probably have to change his bandages again if he did so he conceded and used the step ladder.

Castiel hadn’t ever felt a thrill quite like this as his eyes swept over Dean and he wondered where the best place to put his mating mark would be.

He took a fistful of Dean’s dirt, sweat, and blood stained shirt. “Why do you still wear this horrible thing?” He couldn’t even it call it a ‘horrible _white_ thing’ anymore. The white had been stained out of it long ago.

Dean just took hold of the hem and pulled it above his head, explaining as he did, “It’s not like I can borrow a shirt from Charlie or Dorothy, or Gabriel for that matter. Besides the fact that he’s the size of a dwarf-” He pulled the stained shirt off of his head, tossing it on the ground. “-apparently elves don’t change their clothes ever. You guys just wear one outfit for all of eternity?”

Castiel grinned with a raised brow, stepping forward and allowing his hands to roam the planes of his mate’s bare chest. “No, we do not wear the same outfit for all of eternity, but our clothing is durable, and we are not creatures of excess.”

“Mhm,” Dean replied dubiously, eyes flicking down to Castiel’s lips and licking his own. He wasn’t sure who initiated it, it felt more like a gravitational pull as they fell into each other. A sigh rolled past Castiel’s lips and into Dean’s mouth, deepening their kiss with parted lips and exploratory licks. Castiel’s arms wound around Dean’s broad shoulders. Dean’s hands were slipping past his waist, palming at his ass and pulling their groins together.

Castiel groaned around Dean’s tongue at the pleasant pressure. Dean’s palms lowered to the back of his thighs, gripping and tugging until Castiel hopped up gingerly, wrapping his legs around Dean’s waist. He could feel him, his length heavy and warm against Castiel’s own. The elf tightened his thighs around Dean’s hips to rub against him, searching for friction. Already he could feel himself getting wet, slick dribbling out of him and down his thighs.

Strong hands were groping at his ass, pulling his cheeks apart, and it was only making Castiel needier. He needed this. Needed Dean to finally be his. He almost felt like he was waiting for something to go horribly awry, for someone to burst through the opening to the attic and tell them to stop, that this was wrong, that _they_ were wrong, to try and take Dean from him, for Dean to change his mind and realize that he didn’t actually want Castiel.

Castiel started to shake, scratching lightly at Dean’s scalp as he whimpered against his mouth, plying him open with hungry kisses. He felt something soft against his back and realized that Dean had laid him down on the bed.

“Hey, shh shh, it’s okay, Cas,” Dean murmured into his mouth before pulling away with a look of concern. “What’s wrong? Do you want to stop?”

“No, no, no, don’t stop,” Cas pleaded, trying to pull Dean’s lips back to his but finding him immovable.

“Cas, you’re crying,” Dean said quietly.

The elf’s brows furrowed as he noticed the wetness on his cheeks for the first time. His arms tightened around Dean’s shoulders, fingers curling over the back of his skull. “Please don’t leave me again. I can’t…” He searched his human’s eyes as he trailed off. “Please don’t leave me.”

Dean’s green eyes were suddenly swimming as well before he was crashing into Castiel again. Their mouths worked together with an aching desperation, all that longing, and the fear of everything being taken away again evident in their violent kissing. Dean gasped apologies between their kisses, again and again, promised never to leave, promised that he was Castiel’s, just Castiel’s, always.

Eventually their frantic kisses slowed as they assured themselves that this was real, that it wasn’t about to be ripped away, that there was a next time. Dean’s plump lips closed over the side of his neck, Castiel’s pulse racing to meet the touch. Castiel found himself arching up into his human’s chest as Dean’s tongue slid up a vein along his throat, a soft gasp of pleasure falling out of him.

The pain in his back was all but forgotten as Dean’s mouth travelled lower, kissing over his bandages like they were just another part of him, although a slight scowl darkened his features as he passed over them. Those saccharine lips closed around the sharp line of his hip, a jolt of heat swooping through Castiel’s stomach as they pulled up his skin. He dug his heel into the mattress to push up closer to that wet heat sucking at his hip, so close to everything else, his full cock, his leaking ass.

He was becoming far too distracted, he still hadn’t even explained to Dean what exactly mating him meant, hadn’t even decided where he wanted to put his mating mark, or asked Dean where he wants it.

“D-Dean,” Castiel panted, threading his fingers through Dean’s hair to lift the suction-like grip his lips had on Castiel’s skin. A pleased hum that sounded almost like a purr to Castiel’s own ears rumbled behind his sternum when he saw the mark Dean had made on his hip.

Dean grinned when he saw his reaction, running his tongue slowly over the bruised skin, eliciting a shiver from Castiel. He kissed the mark gently, his lips buzzing with a pleased hum as he did. “ _God_ … you get so excited, it drives me crazy.” Dean breathed the words against his stomach, dark eyes on him as hot breath ghosted lower, he nosed against the apex of Castiel’s thighs, cheek rubbing against the tent in his pants. Castiel gasped, shifting to try and get more, but Dean took a hold of his hips, pinning him to the bed. Long fingers curled over the edge of Castiel’s waistband, tugging down.

“Dean, wait, before, um, before- I should explain more fully what taking you as my mate would- _uh_ ,” Castiel couldn’t help the way his words stuttered into a soft moan as Dean pulled his pants down around his knees, his eyes raking over Castiel like he was something to eat. “Would um, entail,” Castiel stumbled over his words, his cheeks heating with frustration at his own inarticulacy.

Dean peeled Castiel’s pants off the rest of the way, wrapping strong fingers around his ankle and bringing it to his lips to kiss a trail up his calf, watching Castiel with an amused expression. Castiel had the feeling that Dean greatly enjoyed seeing him lose control. “So what would it entail?” Dean asked, far too calmly as he licked at a line of muscle below Castiel’s knee, grinning as it jumped under the touch.

“Well, besides the physical mark that would be branded onto your skin by my s- _soul_ -” Castiel’s breath hitched as Dean started to work his mouth along the sensitive insides of his thighs. “There’s a sort of bond that occurs after taking a mate, almost like a sixth sense.”

“So, what, like I could read your mind?” Dean asked with a raised eyebrow, continuing to mouth higher and higher inside his thighs. “Mmm, I love your thighs… so thick,” he murmured, kitten licking his way to Castiel’s groin.

“No,” Castiel squeaked out as Dean’s hot tongue licked at his sac and up his shaft. “More like- _hunh_ ,” he whimpered as Dean suckled at the pink tip of his cock, pulling more juices from it. “Dean, please, I need- I need to explain.”

Dean released him with a sigh, hopping off the bed completely.

“No don’t-”

“I’m not goin’ anywhere, little elf. I’m just gettin’ more comfortable.” He worked his own pants off, letting them pool around his ankles. Castiel wasn’t finding this any less distracting. He found his gaze lingering on the tight coils of muscle striating Dean’s legs, his blood heavy cock, stiff and looking so tempting that Castiel’s mouth watered. His freckle dusted chest leading up to the curve of his throat, the sharp cut of his jaw and those plush, strawberry pink lips.

“So, wanna start explaining these specifics I apparently need to know about?” Dean asked, looking amused again despite the soft blush splashed across his cheeks. He stepped out of his pants completely, leaning back against the wall beside the bed with his arms folded across his chest, toes curling and uncurling impatiently over the floor.

“Well you don’t have to be all the way over there for me to explain.” A bit of seductive sweetness wove into his voice, eyes widening innocently and tipping his head back against the pillows to bare his throat, bent knees falling open as he relaxed his legs.

Dean chewed his lip, eyes darkening at the presentation, but he didn’t take the bait. “Yeah I do, ‘cause if I get back in bed we’re not actually gonna talk.”

Castiel sighed, allowing himself to drink in the sight of Dean completely, beautifully naked, in a way that he couldn’t when he was in heat, his hands dipped absentmindedly across his torso as he did. One hand fell past his stomach, wrapping a fist around himself and tugging lazily.

“Fuck…” Dean breathed out, inhaling shakily and tipping his head back against the wall with a dull thud. “Cas, come on, details.”

A certain amount of calm had seeped into Castiel as soon as he saw Dean getting antsy. It relaxed his tense muscles, a smile spreading over his face as he watched Dean, continuing to stroke himself. “Well, I won’t be able to read your mind, and you won’t be able to read mine. It’s more like… being able to sense strong emotions I suppose. Love, lust, intense anger, fear.”

Dean nodded, eyes slightly glazed over with the second emotion he had listed, but he was sure that Dean had taken in what he had said.

“And then there’s the mark, a brand that my soul will leave on your skin when it connects with yours.”

Dean’s eyes shifted from his groin to his eyes. “So do I get to leave a mark on you too?

Castiel shook his head. “You’re not an elf.”

His human pushed off the wall with slightly narrowed eyes. Castiel grinned as Dean climbed onto the bed, straddling his waist. “So you get to leave some big fancy brand on me to let everyone know who I belong to, and I get to give you jack squat?” Castiel’s breathing picked up with excitement as Dean leaned down over him, palms balancing him on the bed as he took Castiel’s lip between his teeth. Castiel’s hand passed quicker over his now leaking cock as Dean’s teeth scraped over his jaw and nipped at his earlobe before speaking low, lips brushing the shell of his ear. “I know I may not be as growly and possessive as you are, but I’d still like it to be pretty damn obvious that you’re _mine_.”

Castiel whimpered, curling towards Dean as he licked over the pointed tip of his ear. “You can put whatever sort of mark you want on me, Dean.”

Dean pulled back, looking slightly surprised, but then his brows furrowed as his gaze swept over Castiel, lingering for a moment on his bandages. He shook his head. “No, I don’t want to mark you.”

Something like disappointment had Castiel’s features falling momentarily. But then Dean sat back on his haunches, lifting the golden amulet from around his neck and holding it out to Castiel.

“This is pretty much the most important thing I own, well, important to me anyway. I mean I know it’s not much, but um… I don’t know, when humans get married they give each other rings so… this is kind of like that, I guess, but you know, with uh, a necklace, so… here. Just take it.”

Castiel took it carefully in his own fingers, taking a close look at it, a wide smile taking over his face as he did. This was part of human mating ceremonies- marriage. This was just as important to Castiel as placing his mark on Dean. He hung it around his neck, feeling honored. He touched the golden amulet one more time, enjoying the way it felt against his chest, hanging directly over his heart. His eyes flicked up to find Dean staring at his chest.

“What else do humans do when they get married?” Castiel asked, curious. He reached for Dean’s hand, bringing it to his mouth to kiss each battered knuckle.

“Um,” Dean blinked a few times, seeming to emerge from his thoughts and come back to reality. “I don’t know, a priest goes on for too long about a bunch of boring shit and then the ‘happy couple’ say I do and kiss.”

“What do they say I do to?” Castiel asked, licking the palm of his free hand a few times before it disappeared between them to take a hold of Dean’s half full cock. He touched his mate how he liked to touch myself, adjusting his grip when he noticed certain things that Dean liked, things that made his breath hitch or had his eyelashes fluttering.

“They uh, they say I do to the vows. They promise to love each other through sickness and health, and- _hm_ \- a bunch of other stuff I can’t remember at the moment.”

“I promise to love you through sickness and health, Dean,” Castiel vowed, giving his cock a firm tug and making Dean gasp.

“Cas you don’t have to do all the corny wedding stuff,” Dean muttered, sounding slightly embarrassed.

“I am not doing all of it, since you apparently can’t remember your own cultures mating rituals,” Castiel argued with a slightly raised brow. “So do you vow to love me through sickness and health?”

Dean’s eyes flicked around his face as he fought a smile. “I do.”

The smile he had been fighting overtook Dean’s face when he saw Castiel’s. He ducked his head to bump their noses, smiling too wide to get a good kiss. Castiel released Dean’s heavy cock to slide his hands up his muscular back, pulling their chests together. Arousal burned hot in his belly when he felt Dean, hot and leaking, rutting up against him with slow rolls of his hips. He spread his legs wider, feeling another rush of slick between them.

He took a hold of one of Dean’s hands, guiding it to his hole. Dean’s breath hitched sharply as his finger pressed against Castiel rim, Castiel’s grin widened against Dean’s mouth. “Do you feel that?” He spoke against Dean’s lips, words barely rising above a whisper. “How wet I am for you.”

Dean moaned softly, one of his fingers pushing into Castiel, pumping in and out of him eagerly. Castiel whined when he pushed another in, fingers moving rapidly inside him, stretching him and brushing over that sweet spot. Then suddenly he pulled his fingers out.

 _“Dean,”_ Castiel whimpered, fingers flexing around his human’s shoulders impatiently.

His eyes widened as Dean brought slick fingers to pink lips, sucking them clean. A debauched moan rolled out of Castiel as watched his human moan around his fingers, eyelids fluttering as he tasted his slick. _“Fuck,_ do you know how good you taste?”

Dean ducked down between his thighs suddenly and Castiel gasped loudly as he felt a hot tongue lapping at his rim. _“Oh,_ D-Dean, wh-what are you-” his words were cut off with another choked sounding moan as his human’s tongue pushed into him, the groans of his arousal buzzing up his spine. His spine arched with his heaving chest as he pressed his palms into his forehead, eyes squeezed shut and mouth hanging open as sharp sounds of pleasured continued to tumble loudly out of him.

Long fingers soon joined Dean’s tongue and Castiel lost himself to the intense pleasure that was aching between his thighs. He felt dazed when Dean crawled back up the length of him, unsure of how much time had passed, just knowing that he was soaked in sweat and his thighs were still shaking.

Dean immediately dipped his tongue into Castiel’s mouth, slick dripping off of it. Castiel moaned as he tasted the sweet tang of himself, tongue stroking over Dean’s with slow licks. Dean’s fingers threaded through his sweaty hair, scratching softly at his scalp as Castiel sucked on the tip of his tongue. His tongue slipped out of Castiel’s mouth and he replaced it with his lips, pressing them to Castiel’s in an almost chaste kiss.

“So how do you want to do this?” Dean asked softly.

It took Castiel’s foggy brain a few moments to realize that a question had even been asked. “Do what?”

Dean looked rather amused and more than a little smug as green eyes flicked around Castiel’s face. “How do you wanna mate me, little elf?”  
  
Castiel wanted to grumble that he was not little, but there were more important things to address. He tipped Dean over onto his back, straddling his waist and letting his gaze roam slowly over his human. His eyes caught on a angry red line on Dean’s left shoulder, left there by his mother. Anger surged through him, tensing his muscles uncomfortably and darkening his expression, but he cut off his growl, bending over to kiss the center of Dean’s chest and then the cut. He settled his palm over the mark, hiding it from view.

“This is where I want to put my mating mark.”

A gentle smile melted Dean’s eyes and he nodded, smoothing hands up Castiel’s thighs and finding his hips. Castiel lifted himself up on his knees, reaching back for Dean’s cock and giving it a few good tugs before spearing himself open on it. His eyes fluttered back into his skull, a groan rolling through him as he rocked back further onto Dean, both hands now planted on his shoulders. Dean’s large hands were moving gently up his sides as he thrust up into him, burying himself even deeper in Castiel.

He blinked his eyes back open, finding Dean watching him with a look of wonder. He gyrated his hips in small circles, not needing anything more than that yet. He released Dean’s shoulders to sit up straight, allowing himself to sink down onto Dean’s cock more fully with the new angle. He balanced one hand on Dean’s stomach as he continued to grind down onto him with sensual movements that rolled through his entire body, pleasure simmering in his belly and throbbing inside of him as he clenched around Dean. His head fell back on his shoulders, baring his throat as his breathing picked up and he found his eyelashes fluttering, focusing solely on the feeling of Dean. Dean’s stomach muscles tightening and releasing beneath his palm as his hips undulated, hot iron pushing deeper inside of him. Dean’s hands roaming his body, over his chest and his stomach, occasionally gripping his heavy cock but releasing it quickly, not wanting this to be over too soon. Dean’s hips warm between his thighs, Dean’s cock throbbing with each pulse of his heartbeat.

Dean shifted beneath him and Castiel blinked a few times, coming out of the pleasured haze he had slipped into and finding that Dean had sat up to nose along Castiel’s neck. Castiel sighed happily, sifting his fingers through his human’s sweat-damp chestnut hair, encouraging him to use his mouth on his throat. His cock jumped as Dean licked slowly up the side of his neck. Dean gripped at the backs of his shoulders, his sides, his hips, the only place he wouldn’t touch him was his back, not wanting to hurt him. Castiel felt incrementally warmer every time he noticed his human purposefully avoiding his wounds, it wouldn’t break Castiel if Dean grasped at his back, but he found it sweet that even in the middle of lovemaking he was aware enough not to want to hurt Castiel.

Heat spiked through the low simmer that had been burning in his gut as Dean’s teeth scraped over his pulse point and his fingers curled tighter over his waist. Castiel lifted his hips then to ride Dean, panting as he worked into a steady rhythm. Dean’s heavy breath steamed against his throat as he alternated between nipping, licking, and sucking.

“You’re so beautiful, Cas.” Dean continued to whisper praises into his skin and Castiel found himself whimpering and slamming his hips down harder onto Dean, the sounds of skin slapping, debauched moans and whispered praises filling the thick air. Dean’s lips found his ear again, a place Castiel was quickly realizing was very sensitive. Though his lobes were more sensitive than the tips, Dean always seemed to go for the points, he wondered if Dean licked at his ears more because it brought _him_ pleasure. He had always seemed rather fascinated by Castiel’s ears. That thought made him inexplicably happy and a bit smug. “My mate,” Dean murmured, lips brushing over the shell of his ear, before his tongue flicked out to run all the way up to the tip again.

Castiel moaned loudly, curling towards Dean’s lips and riding him harder in his excitement. He hadn’t heard Dean call him his mate yet and it felt indescribably good to hear the term from his human. His palm settled firmly over Dean’s shoulder, exactly where he wanted his brand to be. “Your mate, Dean.”

The heat was building in his belly and he could feel that he was close, Dean must’ve noticed it too because his hand was circling Castiel’s weeping cock, fisting it relentlessly. Castiel let his forehead fall into Dean’s, their humid breaths mingling between parted lips, noses sliding over each other, restlessly nuzzling, their eyes half open.

He could feel the light of his soul drawing to the surface of his skin, concentrating behind his eyes until he could see nothing but a pale blue light. He could feel his palm burning hot against Dean’s shoulder. Then Dean pulsated inside of him and Castiel spilled over Dean’s fingers, another surge of light heating his hand to impossible temperatures and for just one moment he could feel Dean’s soul touching his own. He almost blacked out from the intensity of his orgasm doubled with the warmth and beauty of being able to feel just briefly the part of Dean that truly made him _Dean._

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before the light in his eyes began to fade and his vision came back. Dean was gaping at him, hand still holding Castiel’s softening cock and his other hand so tight on Castiel’s hip that it hurt a bit.

“I can’t believe you want _me_ when you’re… god you’re just so much _more_ than I am, Cas,” Dean breathed, still looking awed as he stared at Castiel.

Castiel shook his head slowly, left hand falling from Dean’s hair hold his cheek. “I am not more, Dean, we are just different.”

Dean gasped suddenly, eyes widening before he smiled. “I can feel you, Cas.” His eyes filled with tears suddenly, eyebrows tugging up in the center though his smile didn’t fade at all. “Do you really love me that much?”

Castiel smiled and nodded before pressing his mouth to Dean’s, letting his love for his mate swell around his heart as he did. Dean gasped again as he felt it before melting into the kiss and trailing his fingers up Castiel’s ribs. They pulled away after a few perfect minutes.

“So, are you ever gonna lift your hand up so I can see this mating mark, or what?” Dean asked with a teasing grin. Castiel only then realized that he hadn’t moved his hand at all. He peeled his fingers back, admiring the red flesh raised up in the shape of his handprint. For probably about one second it had been a burn, but Castiel’s soul had quickly healed it so it was already more of a fresh scar than any sort of wound.

He reached out curiously to run his finger along the palm of the handprint, Dean gasping softly as he did. Castiel’s eyes widened with worry, it was not supposed to hurt. Immediately he wondered if it had been a mistake to mate Dean, if being a human meant that mating him would hurt him.

“Hey, what are you freaking out about?” Dean asked softly, eyebrows furrowed as he drew Castiel’s eye back to him.

“Does it hurt?” Castiel asked, feeling so intensely sorry for possibly hurting his mate.

“No.” Dean looked confused for a moment before the flush across his cheeks darkened. “Um, it’s just… sensitive, I guess.”

“Oh.” Relief flooded through Castiel, and then his lips tugged upwards with a bit of a mischievous grin. He rolled his hips slightly, Dean’s half erect cock still buried inside him, and slid his entire hand over his mark, smirk widening as Dean moaned and his eyelashes fluttered.

 _“Cas,”_ Dean whined. “I can’t go back to back like you can.”

“I think you can, Dean,” Castiel said sweetly, still smirking as he licked at Dean’s lips playfully. He was already getting hard inside of Castiel again.

“Your brother was right,” Dean complained. “You _are_ as horny as a tree elf, who are apparently particularly horny creatures.”

“Stop talking about my cousins,” Castiel commanded, pushing Dean back against the bed and following him down, their lips slicking as they fell into a languid kiss.

“Yeah, okay,” Dean conceded, already thrusting lazily into  him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All your questions about how they made their daring escape will be answered next chapter. :)


	20. Chapter 20

Dean untucked the edge of the stained bandage carefully, pulling it away from Cas’s skin. He unwound the cloth from skin sticky with sweat and clotting blood, letting it fall away to reveal the marred tissue beneath, still red and angry. It worried Dean how his mate’s cuts didn’t seem to be healing well at all. They should’ve at least mostly scabbed over by now.

The pad of his thumb wandered over the edge of a particularly vicious slice of his elf’s skin, his muscles tensing and his mind clouding with self-directed anger.

“Stop.” Cas’s gravel voice cut through his muddy thoughts like a knife, bringing him out of them abruptly. “I can have Gabriel help me change my bandages if you’re not up for it.”

Dean rolled his eyes. “I’m not not up for it,” Dean grumbled. “I just…” his words trailed off along with his thoughts, eyes unfocused on Cas’s torn up back. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Cas. If I hadn’t… If I had just listened to you none of this would’ve happened.”

He ran the pad of his thumb gently along the outside of one of the cuts again.

“I should’ve listened to you.”

“Why didn’t you?” Cas asked softly after a moment of silence, his shoulders hunching in slightly.

Dean let the question sit for a moment, dipping a cloth into the bucket of water beside the bed and wiping at Cas’s back as gently as he could. “I hate being vulnerable. Can’t stand it.” He swirled the cloth around the bucket, watching tendrils of red falling away from it, their movement hypnotic as they seeped into the once-clear water. “Everything about my relationship with you makes me vulnerable. I can’t lose you, Cas. I thought leaving you meant I could save you. I thought if I gave in maybe at least you’d survive.”

He wiped at his elf’s back with the cloth again, watching drops of water roll down his spine, gathering blood and sweat in their descent.

“Obviously I’m an idiot.”

Cas’s shoulders jolted as he huffed softly. “You can be.”

Dean finished cleaning Cas’s back as best as he could, wrapping him with fresh bandages. He smoothed his fingertips over the top of the cotton bandages, chewing on the inside of his cheek and knowing the question he had to ask Cas was going to be painful.

“Cas… Why did you go back to your tribe? If you knew what would happen- why the hell would you go back there?”

His mate tensed abruptly, twisting around to meet Dean’s eye with a furrowed brow. “I didn’t go back there of my own volition. I’m not suicidal, Dean.”

Tension Dean hadn’t realized he was holding released as his shoulders slumped, a heavy breath escaping him. He suddenly felt stupid for even asking as he found himself under his mate’s steely gaze. “Oh. Well, um, good. I’m uh- I’m glad you didn’t.”

Cas’s gaze softened, his rigid frame loosening as he lowered himself into Dean’s lap with a sigh. Pale moonlight draped over them from the sole window in the simple room, blackening Castiel’s nest of hair and bleaching his tan skin. His cheek was smushed into Dean’s thigh, blue doe eyes boring into him like he was all they saw. Dean had no doubt that Cas could see directly into him, see his innermost thoughts. Strangely he didn’t hate that vulnerability. Being vulnerable to Cas didn’t really feel like a vulnerability, because Cas was safe, he was his mate.

“I thought about you.” His elf’s eyes fell, a sudden shyness in him as he redirected his attention to Dean’s folded legs, fingers drawing mindless patterns on his calf. “I was sure I was going to die. So I thought about your smile.”

Dean’s throat drew tight, blinking rapidly to try and clear his vision. He snatched Cas’s hand away from his calf, holding on tightly. His elf’s eyes found his again, brow slightly furrowed and ancient eyes filled with understanding. He pressed a soft kiss into Dean’s thigh, keeping his eyes fixed on him. Dean was amazed once more to realize he could feel Cas’s love, feel it filling some invisible bond between them.

“So tell me how we escaped,” Cas implored, a small smile crooking up the corner of his mouth and a curiosity lit up in his gaze.

A short laugh wrenched itself out of Dean, followed by a cough, clearing his throat of it’s previous tightness as a cocky smile fixed itself in place on his features. “Well I’m sure you remember my heroic rescue. I’d say it was a lot more impressive than you cutting me down from a ghoul trap and leaving me in a heap on the forest floor.”

Cas smiled although he looked like he wanted to roll his eyes. “I remember you trying about ten times to cut me loose from my chains, and having no escape plan,” he retorted. The teasing expression fell from his face suddenly, confusion taking over as his eyes became unfocused. “We were surrounded. How did we escape?”

Dean sighed. “You, you idiot. I looked over and your eyes were so, bright. It was like every part of you was being filled with this impossibly bright light, until it looked like it was gonna tear you apart at the seams. I had to close my eyes, it was just, so bright. And then it was flooding out of you and hurling every elf in the vicinity a good fifty feet. It was just enough time for us to escape. Thankfully we had Dorothy with us.”

“Dorothy?”

“Oh, yeah, she’s the dragon. You know the one that’s supposed to be guarding the Princess. Turns out her and the Princess are, uh, you know, together.”

“Oh. That’s… unexpected.”

“Yeah, right? I mean we rode a friggin’ dragon, Cas. How awesome is that?”

Dean decided to leave out the part where on the way to save Cas he was so worried he barely kept himself from hurling all over Dorothy’s shiny black scales, and on the way back he was pretty much catatonic, holding what he had thought at the time might be Cas’s limp corpse to his chest.

“I wish I could remember,” Cas said, eyes still unfocused as his gaze bore a hole into Dean’s chest. “It sounds like quite an adventure.”

“Yeah, well, maybe Dorothy will give you a ride when you’re all healed up. I mean probably not, she didn’t seem to really enjoy having a bunch of strangers clinging to her horns, so don’t get your hopes up.”

Cas’s brows furrowed in thought. “No, I don’t think I would really like that much either.” His hand traveled to his chest absentmindedly, long fingers wrapping around the golden amulet that Dean had given him. Seeing it hanging from Cas’s neck made his chest feel fluttery, a warmth blossoming behind his ribcage that he hoped Cas could feel through the strange new bond that had formed between them. By the shy way his wide eyes darted up to Dean’s and the soft smile that graced his lips, he was pretty sure he could.

“So what happens next?” Cas asked. “I’m assuming we can’t stay here forever. And there are still people looking for us.”

Dean sighed. “I don’t exactly know what happens next. But I’m not going away again, I won’t leave, I’ll always be here.” He sifted his fingers Cas’s dark mess of hair, clarifying that here meant Cas.

“What about your father?” Cas asked quietly, looking like he didn’t want to ask, perhaps for fear that reminding him of his father would mean Dean leaving again, despite any promises he might make.

“He’s still looking for me. We heard that he’s sent knights out in search of this tower. I think I’m gonna have to confront him, probably sooner rather than later.”

Cas squeezed Dean’s hand, a sharp intake of breath the only indication of the fear that Dean’s statement instilled in him. “You said your father was dangerous.”

“He is.”

Cas pinned Dean with a glare. “Then don’t confront him. We can run. I know this forest well.”

“Cas… we can’t run forever. We’ll have to face him eventually.”

“No we don’t, Dean. He’ll give up, he can’t chase you forever.”

Dean laughed humorlessly. “You don’t know my father, Cas. He doesn’t give up. He searched for my mom’s killer for years, over a decade. And when he found him…” Dean shook his head slowly, still horrified to this day when he recalled the image of his father slaughtering everything in his path in order to capture the creature that had killed his mother. “He doesn’t give up.”

“Why would you confront a man you fear this much?” Cas asked softly, tangling their fingers together and drawing Dean’s gaze back down to his own. “I can feel it, Dean. I can feel how terrified you are of him. What good would confronting him do? I know you don’t think he’s capable of changing his mind.”

“He isn’t. But he’s not gonna stop hunting us.”

“So what do you plan on doing?” Cas asked with suspiciously narrowed eyes.

“Stopping him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY I'VE BEEN GONE FOR SO LONG!! I've had a major case of writers block. I'm back though!! I just recently got meds for my anxiety disorder, so I've been better than I have in a really really long time. 
> 
> Sorry for the short chapter, I hope to post more soon though!


	21. Chapter 21

_What felt like a great deal later but was really little more than a month…_

 

  
Vines struck the elf’s skin as he sprinted through the forest, his feet striking the ground hard and kicking up dirt behind him. Great green tentacles tried to wind around Castiel’s limbs, more bewitched vines. As soon as they curled around him they were torn off as Castiel ran faster, his lungs burning and heart pounding rapidly against his sternum.

  
There was a hefty price to pay for the elf’s head and it was bringing even the darkest forest dwellers into the light in a mad scramble to be the one to secure the bounty for themselves.

  
In moments like these, as Castiel sprinted for his life, with about a 14% chance of escaping the witch that chased him, he was glad that he had listened to Dean when he’d insisted they split up. Dean wasn’t as fast as Castiel, and he would surely be killed by the witch. The elf at least had a chance.

  
There was a shift in the air and the way the light filtered through the branches. He was coming upon an opening. He prayed that without the trees to aid her the witch would falter and give him time to escape.

  
The dirt beneath his feet transitioned to rocks and Castiel didn’t have time to question it before his feet were propelling him over a cliff.

 

  
XXX

 

  
Dean shot to his feet abruptly from his seat beside their small campfire, a sudden spike of fear zipping through his spine and a course of adrenaline sparking in his veins like a match to gasoline. He knew immediately it wasn’t his own fear and his stomach churned like he might be sick.

  
“Dean?” Charlie questioned timidly. “Is everything okay?” She reached a hand out tentatively, as though she was calming a wild beast. Why was she looking at him like that, like he was something to be frightened of.

  
He shook his head, trying to dispel it of those thoughts as he fought to hold onto his connection with Cas. The farther apart they were, the weaker it grew, but especially strong emotions still came through clearly. But it was gone, he couldn't feel anything. Borrowed adrenaline sung through his body, his heart vibrating in his throat.

  
“I… I can’t feel anything. I can’t feel anything.” Dean was on the verge of panicking, his shaking hands coming to his throat to feel his rapid pulse.

  
“What do you mean?” Charlie asked, her muted tone and pale face telling him she knew exactly what he meant.

  
“I can’t feel it, Charlie! I can’t feel _him_!” He felt an irrational surge of anger towards the redhead, why couldn’t she ever just shut up and leave him alone.

  
He paced around the small cave they were dwelling in for the night, feeling panic swallow him whole as his vision went blurry and his chest constricted.

  
“He’s dead, he’s dead. God _damnit_ , I never should’ve let him leave my sight. My dad got him. He killed him.” A growl curled out of Dean’s throat, fingers twisting roughly in his hair and red tinting his vision. “I’m going to kill him, I’ll rip out his throat. I’ll hang him from his own entrails. I’ll-”

  
“Dean!” Small hands brought Dean’s pacing to a forceful halt as they curled around his shoulders. “You need to breathe. You don’t know what happened. He could just be unconscious, or asleep-”

  
“He’s not _asleep_ , Charlie!” Dean barked.

  
“Fine!” Charlie bellowed back. “But you don’t know that he’s dead!” She lowered her voice, speaking through gritted teeth and with flaming eyes, “and until you know for sure one way or another there’s no point in wasting your energy and giving away our location to every single creature on this mountain by screaming like a banshee. So _breathe_.”

  
Dean ground his teeth but did as he was told, his shoulders rising and falling beneath pale freckled hands.

  
The anger bled from him as he breathed in time with Charlie, watching the heat in her eyes turn into concern. Tears spilled down his cheeks of their own accord, going unmentioned by Charlie, much to Dean’s relief. The tears wouldn’t stop and he crumbled into the much smaller girl’s arms.

  
She was much too kind to him and Dean couldn’t help but feel a sort of kinship with the warrior princess that he thought was destined to be his wife no more than a month ago. But it felt wrong to be held in arms so small, against a chest that was not exactly pillowy but too soft to belong to his elf. Even her scent grated his nerves, screaming _wrong, wrong, wrong_. He just wanted his mate.

  
“He’s going to be okay,” Charlie soothed, patting Dean’s back a bit awkwardly. “That elf is one of the luckiest creatures I’ve met in this forest. Hell, he got banished from his tribe and lived. I’ve never heard of an elf who’s done that. Well, not counting the tree elves. But then again I’ve never heard of a tree elf getting banished so…”

  
“Thanks, Charlie,” Dean sniffed, pulling away from the princess and wiping his nose. He still felt sick to his stomach but he was pretty sure he could keep it to himself now. Living with his father had taught him how to hide his emotions expertly.

  
Charlie retook her seat beside the small fire, patting the stone next to her in invitation. Dean sat, forearms settling across his pulled up knees as he stared into the orange flames.

  
“I’m going to kill him.”

  
Instead of trying to tell Dean that there had to be another way like she’d been doing for the past month, she just looked at Dean thoughtfully. “If that’s what you think you have to do.”

  
“It’s not what I _think_ I have to do, it’s what I have to do.”

  
“Alright,” Charlie responded, with an infuriatingly zen tone and a shrug of her shoulders.

  
Dean glared into the fire. He didn’t have to look to know exactly what expression the princess was sporting. It was the ‘Do what you want, it’s not my place, I’m not gonna make your decisions for you but I’m gonna silently judge you for them’ expression. It was growing increasingly familiar.

  
“I’m sick of running, Charlie. I’m sick of not having a plan. How long can we really keep this up? I know you miss Dorothy. I know Dorothy misses you, and has probably killed Gabe at this point.” Charlie huffed out a weak laugh and Dean felt his posture soften, a brief smile flitting across his face. “We can’t keep running forever. You know we have to do something, Charlie.”

  
“I know that, Dean. I’m just not sure killing your _father_ is the right answer, no matter how much of an asshole he may be.”

  
“It doesn’t matter what relation he has to me. He’s threatened the only people I care about, he’s _hunting_ Cas. And for god sake Charlie he destroyed your home, don’t tell me you have a spot for the guy.”

  
“I’m not saying I like him,” Charlie murmured defensively. “I did call him an asshole. I’m just saying, he is your father, that means something, whether you want to admit it does or not.”

  
“Well it doesn’t. Like I said, he’s _hunting_ my mate, he doesn’t get to do that and live.”

  
“Okay, Dean,” Charlie sighed, looking weary.

  
She rolled out the small mat she carried, curling up onto it with Dorothy’s jacket like she usually did.

  
“You take the first shift. Wake me up in a few hours,” Charlie yawned, blinking owlishly at the fire.

  
Dean stalked to the opening of the cave, settling onto an uncomfortable rock that was certain to keep him awake for the next few hours at least. Cold air slipped in from the night sky just outside their cave. He didn’t like fighting with Charlie, and it had been becoming more and more frequent. They both missed their mates and they were both getting tired of finding new caves to sleep in each night, each one with harder rock floors than the last. It was enough to make anyone irritable.

  
He breathed out and tried to picture all his thoughts following the air that expelled from his lungs, preferably cascading to a bitter death along the side of the mountain. He wished it were that easy to push the monstrous thoughts out of his head.

  
His fingers traced over the scarred handprint that marked his shoulder, a gesture that had become habit over the last month. He shut his eyes, trying to feel something, _anything_ on the other end.

  
Nothing.

  
He swallowed the panic that swelled in his throat. He wasn’t going to freak out again. Like Charlie said, there was no point to it until he knew for sure either way.

  
He took a steadying breath before hurdling to his feet and retching over the side of the mountain. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot believe it's been may since I updated this. I am SORRY. The next chapter will be posted later today or tomorrow. So you won't need to wait too long. And I'll let you know on my tumblr when I'm about to post (my tumblr is the same name as this). 
> 
> I've missed this story so much and I seriously am so grateful for all the people who've followed it and haven't abandoned me yet. Thank you. I hope you guys are still interested in my story.


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